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Articles, Blogs & Sermons
Have you ever wondered how sinful mankind really is?
God knows and has shown us in His Word. This list will give you an idea and also proves that there are none who are good or righteous before God, but He alone can forgive us through the blood of Jesus Christ. But if we sincerely confess and repent (turn from) our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us according to His mercy, grace. God alone has the power to keep us from sinning, temptation and protected from evil, so pray daily for that.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 |
1. ABORTION Ex 21:22-25; Jere 1:4,5 2. NOT ABSTAINING FROM ALL APPEARANCE OF EVIL 1 Thes 5:22 3. ACCUSING Jude 9; 2 Pe 2:11 4. NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THINE INIQUITY Jere 3:13 5. ADULTERY Mt 19:18; Gen 39:7-9; Ex 20:14 Penalty for both involved is death Deut 22:22; Lev 20:10-12 To look on a woman to lust is adultery Mt 5:28; 2 Pe 2:14 6. AFRAID of people or circumstances Ps 112:7 7. AFRAID TO CONFESS JESUS TO PEOPLE Jn 12:42 8.UNJUSTIFIED ANGER (WRATHS) Pv 27:4; 29:22; Ex 6:9; 2 Cor 12:20 9. ANGRY WITH YOUR BROTHER Mt 5:22 10. ANXIOUS Phili 4:6 NIV 11.ARGUING Pv 17:14; 18:6; Titus 3:9; 2 Tim 2:23 12.ARROGANCE (SWELLINGS) (PROUD) Mk 7:22 NIV; Isa 2:17,11 NIV; Ro 1:30; 2 Cor 11:20; Isa 13:11 13. ASHAMED, HIDING YOUR LIGHT FOR JESUS Mt 5:14-16; Lk 9:26; Ro 10:11 14. ASHAMED OF JESUS AND HIS WORDS Mk 8:38 15. ASSAULT Ex 21:18,19; Acts 14:5 16.ASTROLOGY Deut 4:19; 17:3-7; Isa 47:13,14; Acts 7:42; Ezek 8:16 Penalty for astrology is death Deut 17:7 17. VAIN BABBLINGS 1 Tim 6:20; 2 Tim 2:16 18. BACKBITING Ps 15:1-3 19. REFUSED TO BE BAPTIZED Lk 7:29,30 20. BAPTIZED BEFORE BELIEVING ON JESUS Acts 8:36,37 21. NOT BELIEVING ON NAME OF HIS SON JESUS CHRIST 1 Jn 3:23 BIBLE-SEE THE HEADING OF "WORD" 22.BITTERNESS Acts 8:23; Ro 3:14; Eph 4:31; Heb 12:15 23. BLASPHEMOUS Mk 7:22; Jude 10 24. BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST Mk 3:29; Lk 12:10 Never forgiven, the unforgivable sin Mt 12:31 25. NOT BLESSING THEM THAT CURSE YOU Lk 6:28 26. NOT BLESSING THEM WHICH PERSECUTE YOU Ro 12:14 27.A PERSON THAT LEADS THE BLIND ASTRAY
IS CURSED Deut 27:18; Mt 23:16
28. EATING BLOOD 1Sam 14:33 29. BOASTING IS EVIL Ja 4:16; 3:5; Ro 1:30
+ BORN AGAIN-A PERSON THAT HAS BEEN CONVERTED FROM THE OLD SINFUL NATURE TO A SPIRIT LED NATURE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. HE HAS RECEIVED THE INDWELLING OF GOD’S SPIRIT AND HAS BECOME A CHANGED PERSON. HE HAS BECOME A CHILD OF GOD. (Mt 18:3; Mk 16:16; Jn 3:3; Acts 2:38; Ro ch 6 and 8; Col 2:12; Heb 5:9; 1Jn 5:8).
(SINS AGAINST BORN-AGAIN CHILDREN OF GOD) 30 to 55 30. BEING AGAINST A CHILD OF GOD Ps 11:2 31. CAUSING A CHILD OF GOD TO SIN (GREAT SIN) Mt 18:6 32. DECEIVING A CHILD OF GOD Eph 4:14 33. DESPISING ONE OF GOD’S CHILDREN Mt 18:10 Is the same as despising God Lk 10:16 34.ENTICING A CHILD OF GOD TO TURN Deut 13:6-10; Acts 13:8-12; Acts 20:29-31 Penalty for enticing a child of God is death Deut 13:6-10 35.ENTICING A CHILD OF GOD THROUGH THEIR LUSTS
AND DESIRES 2 Pe 2:18
36. HINDERING OR BEATING GOD’S SERVANTS Lk 12:45 37. JUDGING GOD’S SERVANTS Ro 14:4,10 38. LAYING IN WAIT TO ACCUSE GOD’S SERVANTS Lk 11:54 39. NOT CLOTHING GOD’S CHILDREN THAT HAVE NEED Mt 25:43 40. NOT FEEDING GOD’S CHILDREN THAT ARE HUNGRY Mt 25:42 41. NOT RECEIVING A CHILD OF GOD SENT BY GOD Mk 6:11; Mt 10:14 42. NOT TAKING IN A HOMELESS CHILD OF GOD Mt 25:43,45; 1 Tim 5:10 43. NOT VISITING GOD’S CHILDREN THAT ARE SICK Mt 25:43 44. NOT VISITING GOD’S CHILDREN IN PRISON Mt 25:43 45. OFFENDING A CHILD OF GOD Mk 9:42 46. PERSECUTING A CHILD OF GOD Acts 9:1,4,5 47.PUTTING STUMBLING BLOCKS IN PATH OF GOD’S CHILDREN Acts 15:1,2; Ro 14:13
48. REFUSING TO HEAR GOD’S SERVANTS 1 Jn 4:6 49.SPEAKING AGAINST GOD’S CHILDREN Acts 21:28; Num 14:2,3,11; 16:3 50. SMITING GOD’S CHILDREN Mt 24:49 51. SOWING ANY FORM OF DISCORD AMONG GOD’S CHILDREN Pv 6:16,19 52. THINKING EVIL IN YOUR HEART AGAINST GOD’S CHILDREN Mt 9:4 53. THREATENING GOD’S PEOPLE Acts 9:1,4,5; Jn 9:22,28,34 54. TOUCHING GOD’S SERVANTS Acts 5:18,35,39 55. ZEALOUS FOR GOD BUT HATE GOD’S CHILDREN Acts 22:3,22 56. BREAKING UP HOMES Mt 19:6; 5:31,32 57. ACCEPTING A BRIBE Ex 23:8; Ps 26:10 58. BUSYBODIES (meddling) Pv 20:3; 1 Tim 5:13 59. PUTTING CARES OF THIS WORLD BEFORE GOD Mk 4:19; Lk 8:14; 21:34 60. BEING CARNAL OR WORLDLY 1 Cor 3:1-3; Ro 8:6-8 61. NOT HAVING CHARITY 1 Cor 13:2 62. NOT ENDURING GOD’S CHASTENING Heb 12:7,8 63.NOT BECOMING AS A LITTLE CHILD BEFORE GOD (NOT HUMBLING YOURSELF) Mt 18:3
64. NOT SPANKING A DISOBEDIENT CHILD Pv 13:24 65. FATHER’S PROVOKING THEIR CHILDREN TO WRATH Eph 6:4 66.NOT BRINGING CHILDREN UP IN TRAINING AND INSTRUCTION OF THE LORD Eph 6:4 NIV
CHRISTIAN-SEE BORN-AGAIN 67.NOT GOING TO CHURCH OR ASSEMBLING TOGETHER Heb 10:25; Acts 2:46;
Ecc 4:9-12 68. GOING TO THE CHURCH OF THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS Rev 17:5; 18:4,5 (SINS PERTAINING TO CLOTHING) 69 to 74 69. WEARING THE CLOTHING OF THE OPPOSITE SEX Deut 22:5 70. DRESSING INDECENTLY 1 Tim 2:9; Pv 7:10 71.LOVE FANCY CLOTHING TO SHOW OFF-TO BE ADMIRED BY MEN Mk 12:38
72.WOMEN-BEAUTY THAT COMES FROM WEARING GOLD JEWELRY
1 Pe 3:3
73. WOMEN-THAT DO NOT DRESS MODESTLY 1 Tim 2:9 74. WOMEN-THAT ADORN THEMSELVES WITH GOLD, PEARLS, COSTLY ARRAY 1 Tim 2:9
75. DISOBEYING GOD’S COMMANDMENTS 1 Jn 2:3 76. TAKE COMMUNION BUT HAVE SIN IN YOUR LIFE (CURSED) 1 Cor 11:29,30 77. NOT HAVING COMPASSION 1 Pe 3:8 78. COMPLAINERS Jude 16 79. COMPLAINING ABOUT HARDSHIPS Num 11:1 NIV 80. COMPLAINING ABOUT WHAT YOU DO NOT HAVE Num 11:4-6; 21:5 81. CONCEITED (PRIDE) 1 Tim 3:6; 2 Tim 3:2,4 82. CONDEMNING Lk 6:37 83. CONTEMNS GOD Ps 10:13 84. CONTEMPT Pv 23:22; Mt 18:10; Ro 14:3 85. NOT BEING CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE Heb 13:5 (SINS PERTAINING TO CONVERSATION) 86 TO 111 86. SPEAKING BOASTFUL WORDS 2 Pe 2:18 NIV 87. NOT BRIDLING (keeping a tight rein) HIS TONGUE Ja 1:26 CONVERSATION-ALSO SEE TONGUE 88.CONVERSATION THAT DOES NOT BECOME JESUS
(THE GOSPEL) Phili 1:27
89. CONVERSATION ACCORDING TO THE DECEITFUL LUSTS Eph 4:22 90. CORRUPT CONVERSATION Eph 4:29 91. COVETOUSNESS CONVERSATION Heb 13:5 92. CRAFTY CONVERSATION Job 15: 4-6 93. DOUBLE-TONGUED 1 Tim 3:8 94. SPEAKING EVIL ABOUT GOD’S WORD Acts 19:9 95. SPEAKING ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE’S EVIL Eph 5:11,12 96. SPEAKING EVIL OF BROTHERS (ONE OF ANOTHER) Ja 4:11 97. SPEAKING EVIL OF DIGNITIES Jude 8 98. SPEAKING EVIL OR GUILE 1Pe 2:1; 3:10; Ps 34:13 99. FILTHY CONVERSATION Col 3:8 100. FOOLISH CONVERSATION Eph 5:4 101. BIDDING GOD SPEED TO CHRIST REJECTING PEOPLE 2 Jn 11 102. HASTY IN WORDS Pv 29:20 103. NOT BEING SLOW TO SPEAK Ja 1:19 104. NOT BEING MEEK AND QUIET 1 Pe 3:4 Every idle word…they shall give account thereof Mt 12:36 105. PROUD SPEECH Ps 17:10 106. SPEAKING THINGS THEY OUGHT NOT 1 Tim 5:13 107. TURNING TO VAIN JANGLING (MEANINGLESS TALK) 1 Tim 1:6 108. PARTAKING OF VAIN WORDS Eph 5:6,7; Jonah 2:8 109. SAYING I WILL GO, I WILL BUY, BUT NOT IF GOD WILL Ja 4:13-17 110. PROFESSING TO BE WISE (PRIDE) Ro 1:22 111. BEING INVOLVED IN WIVE’S FABLES 1 Tim 4:7 112. CONTENTION (STRIFE) Pv 17:14 113. NOT BEING CONVERTED-PERISH Mt 18:3 114. DESPISING CORRECTION Heb 12:5 115. REFUSING CORRECTION-PERISH Jere 5:3,4 116. REFUSING TO SEPARATE FROM FALSE COUNSEL Pv 19:27 117. SEEKING COUNSEL THAT IS NOT OF GOD Isa 30:1 118. TURNING TO FALSE COUNSEL (FABLES) 2 Tim 4:4 119. WALKING IN COUNSEL OF UNSAVED Ps 1:1 The advice of the unsaved is deceitful Pv 12:5 120. NOT BEING COURTEOUS 1 Pe 3:8 121.COVETOUSNESS-AN INSATIABLE DESIRE FOR WORLDLY GAIN Hab 2:9
122. COVETOUSNESS-DESIRE NEIGHBOR’S THINGS Mk 7:22; Ex 20:17; Ezek 33:31 Covetousness is idolatry Col 3:5; Eph 5:5 123. CRAFTINESS 2 Cor 4:2 124.BIDDING CULTS, GOD SPEED OR WELCOMING THEM INTO YOUR HOUSE 2 Jn 10,11
125. CURSING Ro 3:14; Ps 10:7; 59:12 126. CURSING THE LORD’S NAME Ex 20:7 Penalty for cursing the Lord’s name is death Lev 24:16 127. CURSING THE RICH Ecc 10:20 128. CURSING MEN Ja 3:9 129. DEBATE Ro 1:29 130. MAKING BAD DEBTS Ro 13:8 131. NOT PAYING WHAT YOU OWE (DEBTS) Mt 5:26 132. HOLDING FAST TO DECEIT (LIGHT IN YOU IS DARKNESS) Jere 8:5; Mk 7:22 133. WORKING DECEIT Ps 101:7; 10:7; 35:20 134. DECEITFUL 2 Cor 11:13; Ro 1:29 135. DECEIVING YOUR NEIGHBOR Jere 9:5,6 136. DEFRAUDING OTHERS Lev 19:13; 1 Thes 4:6 137. NOT DELIGHTING YOURSELF IN THE LORD Ps 37:4 138. DESIRE SINFUL WAYS Lk 5:39 139. DESPISING 1 Thes 4:8 140. DESPISING DOMINION (AUTHORITY) Jude 8 141. DESPISING GOD’S SERVANTS Lk 10:16 142. DESPISING GOVERNMENT 2 Pe 2:10 143. DESPISING HIS NEIGHBOR Pv 14:21 144. DESPISING OTHERS 2 Tim 3:3; Lk 18:9 145. DESPISING THOSE THAT ARE GOOD 2 Tim 3:1-3 146.GIVING PLACE TO THE DEVIL (DOING SOMETHING THE BIBLE SAYS NOT TO DO) Eph 4:27
147. NOT RESISTING THE DEVIL Ja 4:7-10 148. DISCOURAGED Deut 1:21; 1 Pe 5:7 149. DISOBEDIENT TO PARENTS 2 Tim 3:1,2; Ro 1:30 150. DISOBEYING MAN’S LAWS Ro 13:1-5 151. DISPUTING Phili 2:14 152. CAUSING DIVISION CONTRARY TO GOD’S WORD Ro 16:17 153. DIVORCE, EXCEPT FOR CERTAIN CONDITIONS Mt 19:9 154. GETTING INVOLVED IN THE DOCTRINES OF DEVILS 1 Tim 4:1 155.GETTING INVOLVED IN ANY DOCTRINES OTHER THAN SOUND DOCTRINE 1 Tim 1:10
156. FILTHY DREAMERS Jude 8 157. DRINKING 1 Tim 3:3; Pv 20:1 158. DRUGS Rev 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; 22:15 159.GETTING DRUNK (DRUNKEN) Lk 12:45,46; Ro 13:13; 1 Cor 6:10 160. BEING DISCONTENT Phili 4:11; 1 Tim 6:8; Lk 3:14 EARTH, EARTHLY-SEE WORLD, WORLDLY 161. EATING AND DRINKING WITH THE DRUNKEN Mt 24:49 162. EATING BLOOD Acts 15:20 163. EATING THINGS STRANGLED Acts 15:20 164. EMPLOYEES, ARGUING WITH EMPLOYERS Titus 2:9 165. EMPLOYEES, NOT BEING OBEDIENT TO YOUR EMPLOYER Col 3:22,23; Eph 6:5-8 166. EMPLOYEES, NOT BEING SUBJECT TO YOUR EMPLOYER 1 Pe 2:18 167.EMPLOYERS, NOT GIVING THAT WHICH IS JUST AND EQUAL Col 4:1
168. EMPLOYERS, THREATENING EMPLOYEES Eph 6:9 169. NOT FEEDING YOUR ENEMY AND GIVING HIM DRINK Ro 12:20 170. ENVY 1 Tim 6:4; Acts 13:45; Ro 1:29 171.MAKING EXCUSES WHEN YOU ARE ASKED TO FOLLOW JESUS Lk 14:18-24
172. DOETH EVIL, HATES THE WORD (HATES THE LIGHT) Jn 3:20 173. EVIL DESIRES Col 3:5,6 NIV 174. FOLLOWING EVIL 3 Jn 11 175. NOT HATING EVIL Ro 12:9; Ps 36:4 (SINS DIRECTED TOWARD GOD) 225 to 302 225. HAVING ANY GODS THAT COME BEFORE GOD Ex 20:3; Ps 81:9; Acts 15:20 226. ACTING CONTRARY TO GOD’S DECREES Lev 26:21; 1 Tim 1:10 227. ASHAMED OF JESUS Ro 9:33; Ro 10:11; Mk 8:38 228. DENYING JESUS BEFORE MEN Mt 10:33; 1 Jn 2:22 229.DENYING JESUS CHRIST IS FROM EVERLASTING TO EVERLASTING Rev 1:6,8,11
230. DENYING JESUS CHRIST IS GOD IN THE FLESH Jn 1:1,14; 1Jn 4:3; 2 Jn 7 231. DENYING JESUS CHRIST IS GOD’S ONLY BEGOTTEN SON Jn 3:16 232. DENYING JESUS IS THE CHRIST (Messiah) 1 Jn 5:10,1; 1 Jn 2:22 233.DENYING JESUS CHRIST IS THE SECOND PERSON OF THE TRINITY: GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE SON, AND GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT 1 Jn 5:7; Isa 48:16; Mt 28:19
234. DENYING JESUS CHRIST IS THE KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS Rev 19:16
235. DENYING JESUS CHRIST MADE ALL THINGS Jn 1:3; Heb 1:1,2; Col 1:14-17 236.DENYING JESUS CHRIST WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD BY GOD Ro 10:9
237 DESPISING GOD’S GOODNESS Ro 2:4 238. FORSAKING GOD Jere 16:11 239. HARDENING YOUR HEART TOWARDS GOD’S WAYS Heb 3:8 240. SPEAKING HARSH WORDS AGAINST GOD Jude 15 NIV 241. KNOWING GOD’S WILL BUT NOT DOING IT Lk 12:47; Ja 4:17 242. LAYING ASIDE GOD’S COMMANDMENTS Mk 7:8,9 243.NOT CONFESSING JESUS CHRIST IS GOD COME IN THE FLESH 1 Jn 4:3; 2 Jn 7
244. NOT DOING EVERYTHING AS UNTO THE LORD Col 3:23 245. NOT DOING GOD’S WILL Mt 7:21; 1 Jn 2:17 246. NOT DOING THOSE THINGS WHICH PLEASE GOD Jn 8:29; 1 Jn 3:22 247. NOT FORSAKING ALL FOR JESUS Lk 14:33 248. NOT FEARING GOD Deut 6:13; Deut 10:12; Ps 36:1 249. NOT FOR GOD (IS AGAINST GOD) I Cor 10:21; Mt 12:30; Lk 11:33 250.NOT GIVING GOD THE GLORY Lk 17:17,18; Ro 1:21; Acts 12:23 251. NOT GIVING THANKS TO GOD FOR ALL THINGS Eph 5:20; Col 3:17 252. NOT HONORING JESUS Jn 5:23 253. NOT LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD Ro 8:14 254. NOT LETTING THE LORD REIGN OVER YOUR LIPS Ps 12:3,4 255. NOT LOOKING FOR JESUS TO RETURN Heb 9:28 256.NOT LOVING GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, SOUL, AND MIND Mt 22:37; Deut 6:5
257. NOT RECEIVING A PERSON GOD SENDS Lk 9:5 258. NOT REGARDING THE WORKS OF GOD Ps 28:5 259. NOT SEEKING FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD Mt 6:33 260. NOT SEEKING GOD’S FACE 2 Chr 7:14 261. NOT SUBMITTING TO GOD Ja 4:7-10 262. NOT SUBMITTING TO THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD Ro 10:2,3 263. NOT TESTIFYING OF JESUS 1 Pe 3:15; Ro 10:10,11,9 264. NOT TRUSTING IN GOD Num 14:9,11; Pv 3:5,7 265.NOT TURNING AWAY FROM THOSE WHO DON’T GLORIFY JESUS 2 Tim 3:5
266. NOT UNDERSTANDING GOD’S WILL Eph 5:17 267. NOT USING GOD GIVEN TALENTS FOR GOD 1 Pe 4:10; Mt 25:24-30 268. NOT WALKING IN GOD’S WAYS Heb 3:10 269. NOT WORSHIPPING GOD IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH Jn 4:24 270. NOT YIELDING UNTO GOD Ro 6:13 271. REBELLING AGAINST GOD Isa 1:2,20 272. REFUSING TO TURN TO GOD Jere 8:5 273. REJECTING GOD’S CALLING Mt 22:5 274. REJECTING JESUS CHRIST Jn 12:48 (RELIGIOUS BUT NOT SUBMITTED TO JESUS CHRIST) 275 to 287 275. APPEARS GODLY BUT DENIES JESUS 2 Tim 3:5 276. BEING A DECEITFUL WORKER OF CHRIST 2 Cor 11:13 277. DENYING JESUS IN DEEDS Titus 1:16 278.DRAWING NEAR TO GOD WITH WORDS BUT NOT WITH YOUR HEART Mt 15:8
279. GOD NOT IN ALL YOUR THOUGHTS Ps 10:4 280. IGNORANTLY WORSHIP GOD Acts 17:23 281. LISTEN TO GOD’S WORD, BUT WON’T OBEY THEM Ezek 33:31 282. LUKEWARM FOR JESUS Rev 3:15,16 283. PROFESS TO BE SAVED, BUT DENY GOD BY WORKS Titus 1:16 284.SAY YOU ARE SAVED, BUT DON’T KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS 1 Jn 2:4
285. SHOW MUCH LOVE FOR GOD WITH WORDS, BUT HEART COVETOUS Ezek 33:31
286. ZEAL FOR GOD, BUT NOT ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE Ro 10:2,3 287.ZEALOUS FOR GOD ACCORDING TO TRADITIONS OF PEOPLE Gal 1:14
288. RESISTING GOD’S SPIRIT Acts 7:51 289. ROB GOD NOT GIVING 10% PLUS OFFERINGS (CURSED) Mal 3:8,9 290. FEARING TO SERVE GOD Lk 19:21,22 291. NOT SERVING GOD Mal 3:18; Eph 2:10; Lk 4:8 292. NOT SERVING GOD WITH HUMBLE MIND Acts 20:19 293. TEMPTING GOD Mt 22:18; 4:7 294. THINKING GODLINESS IS MEANS TO FINANCIAL GAIN 1 Tim 6:5 NIV 295. TRUSTING IN MAN, NOT GOD Jere 17:5 296. TRUSTING IN RICHES, NOT GOD Ps 52:7 297.TRUSTING IN YOUR OWN WAYS, NOT GOD’S Hos 10:13; Job 33:27-30; Pv 3:5,7 298. WALKING CONTRARY TO GOD Lev 26:27,28 299.WALKING AFTER THE IMAGINATIONS OF YOUR OWN HEART Jere 16:12 300. WALKING AFTER YOUR OWN DEVICES Jere 18:12 301. HEARKEN TO THE VOICE OF YOUR WIFE INSTEAD OF GOD Gen 3:17 302. WORSHIPPING ANGELS RATHER THAN GOD Col 2:18 NIV GOD’S CHILDREN-SEE BORN-AGAIN GOSPEL-SEE THE WORD 303.WHISPERING OR GOSSIP Pv 16:28 NIV; Ro 1:29; 2 Cor 12:20 304. REFUSING TO LEAVE THE GREAT HARLOT Rev 18:4; 2 Cor 6:16,17 305.GREEDINESS Eph 4:19; Col 3:5,6 NIV; Pv 15:27 306. STRIKING A MAN IN THE GROIN Deut 25:11,12 307. CARRYING A GRUDGE 1 Pe 4:9; Ja 5:9 Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one
point, he is guilty of all Ja 2:10
308. HATE Pv 15:17; Gal 5:19,20 309. HATERS OF GOD Ro 1:30 310. HATES REPROOF (HATES CORRECTION) Pv 15:10 311. HATING ONE ANOTHER Titus 3:3 312. HATING YOUR BROTHER 1 Jn 2:11; 4:20 313.NOT HATING THE WORKS OF THEM THAT TURN ASIDE FROM GOD Ps 101:3
314. REFUSING INSTRUCTION (NOT HEARING INSTRUCTION) Pv 8:33 315. DOUBLE HEARTED Ps 12:2 316. HEART HARDENED Mk 8:17; Heb 3:15; Eph 4:18 317.HEART HARD TOWARD GOD (CLOSED EARS, CLOSED EYES) Acts 28:27
318. MISCHIEF IN YOUR HEART Ps 28:3 319. SEEKING THAT YOUR HEART MAY DISCOVER ITSELF Pv 18:2; Num 15:39 320.SEEKING YOUR OWN INTEREST (OWN HEART’S DESIRES) NOT CHRIST’S Phili 2:21 NIV
321. NOT SETTING YOUR HEART ON THINGS ABOVE Col 3:2 322. SLOW OF HEART TO BELIEVE (FOOL) Lk 24:25 323. STIFF-HEARTED Ezek 2:4 324 WORK WICKEDNESS IN YOUR HEART Ps 58:2 325. HEARTLESS Ro 1:31 NIV 326. HINDERING THOSE WHO WISH TO BE SAVED Lk 11:52 327. NOT FOLLOWING HOLINESS Heb 12:14 328.HOMOSEXUAL Lev 18:22; Ro 1:24-28; 1 Cor 6:9 329. NOT WALKING HONESTLY Ro 13:13 330. NOT HONORING ALL MEN 1 Pe 2:17 331. NOT HONORING YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER Ex 20:12; Mt 19:19 332. NOT HONORING THE PRESIDENT 1 Pe 2:17 333. HONORING MEN AS GODS OR AS INFALLIBLE Acts 14:11-18 334. NOT BEING HOSPITABLE 1 Pe 4:9 335. NOT HUMBLING YOURSELF Ja 4:10 336. NOT HUMBLING YOURSELVES TO GOD 1 Pe 5:6 337. WOUNDING SOMEONE (HURTING SOMEONE) Lev 24:19,20 (SINS PERTAINING TO HURTING YOU) 338 to 340 338. NOT BLESSING THEM THAT CURSE YOU Mt 5:44 339. NOT DOING GOOD TO THEM WHICH HATE YOU Lk 6:27; Mt 5:44 340. NOT PRAYING FOR THEM WHICH PERSECUTE YOU Mt 5:44 341.HUSBAND, NOT DWELLING WITH WIFE ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE 1 Pe 3:7
342. HUSBAND, NOT HONORING YOUR WIFE 1 Pe 3:7 343. HUSBAND, NOT LOVING YOUR WIFE Eph 5:25 344. HYPOCRITICAL Mt 15:7-9; 23:3 345. ABUNDANCE OF IDLENESS Ezek 16:49 346.BEING IDLE (NOT WORKING WHEN WORK IS AVAILABLE) 1 Tim 5:13; Mt 20:6,7; 2 Thes 3:10 347.
IDOLS
Ezek 8:10; Ro 1:22,23; 1 Jn 5:21; Dan 5:23; Hab 2:18; Jere 50:38; 51:17,18; plus much more 348. MAKING A GRAVEN IMAGE Ex 20:4; 32:8,21; Acts 15:20 349. BRINGING A GRAVEN IMAGE INTO YOUR HOUSE (CURSED) Deut 7:25,26 350.BURNING MEMORIAL INCENSE (LIKE ONE WHO WORSHIPS IDOLS) (IMAGES) Isa 66:3
351. COVETOUS-AN IDOLATER ( IMAGE) Eph 5:5 352. IDOLS OF GOLD AND SILVER (IMAGE) Isa 31:7 353. STUBBORNNESS IS AS IDOLATRY (IMAGE) 1 Sam 15:23 354.A HEART THAT DEVISES WICKED IMAGINATIONS (ABOMINATION) Pv 6:18,16
355. IMPUDENT Ezek 2:4 356. RETURNING INSULT FOR INSULT 1 Pe 3:9 NIV The insults of those who insult a born-again Christian, fall
on Jesus Ro 15:3 NIV
357. JEALOUS (ENVYINGS) 2 Cor 12:20 NIV; Lk 15:27-31 JESUS-SEE GOD 358.PUTTING YOUR JOB BEFORE GOD (THE WORK OF ONE’S HANDS) Deut 31:29; Rev 9:20
359. JOKING (COURSE JOKING, JESTING) Eph 5:4 NIV 360. JUDGING OTHERS (JUDGING BROTHERS IN CHRIST) Mt 7:1-5; Ro 2:1;Ja 4:11,12 361. JUSTIFYING THE WICKED Pv 17:15 362. KIDNAPPING Ex 21:16 Penalty is death Ex 21:16 363. KILLING A MOTHER BIRD IN THE NEST Deut 22:6,7 364.KILLING AN ANIMAL AND NOT MAKING IT GOOD (that belongs to someone) Lev 24:18
365. KILLING A PERSON Ex 20:13; Mt 19:18 Penalty is death Lev 24:17 Don’t pity a murderer (to pity him would be sin) Deut 19:13 Killing secretly-cursed Deut 27:24 366.TO HATE YOUR BROTHER IS THE SAME AS MURDER (KILLING) 1 Jn 3:15
367. (omitted) 368. NOT BEING KIND Col 3:12 369. NOT KNOWING THAT THE RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST IS NEAR Mk 13:28,29
370. REJECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORD OF GOD Lk 11:31 371.BEING LAZY
2 Thes 3:10-12; Pv 6:6-8; Eph 5:16; Heb 6:12; Mt 20:3,6; Ecc 10:18 372.A FALSE WITNESS THAT SPEAKS LIES (AN ABOMINATION TO GOD) Pv 6:16,19; Mt 15:19; Ex 20:16
Penalty-sentence of the one witnessed against becomes the sentence of the false witness Deut 19:18-21
373. TRUSTING IN LIES Jere 7:4 LIES, LYING-ALSO SEE FALSE WITNESS 374. LIES, LYING Ps 59:12; 12:2; 31:18; 58:3 (Lying to God) Jn 8:44; Rev 21:8; Acts 5:3-5 375. LIES, HIDES HATRED WITH LYING Pv 10:18 376. LIES, NOT TO HATE LYING Pv 13:5 377. LIES, LYING TONGUE Pv 6:17 378. NOT TO LOAN TO HIM THAT ASKS Mt 5:42 379. HAVE NOT LOVE 1 Cor 13:2 380. LOVE TO BE NOTICED Lk 11:43 381. NOT TO LOVE IN DEED AND IN TRUTH (LOVING JUST IN WORDS) 1 Jn 3:18
382 . RECEIVING NOT THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH 2 Thes 2:10,11 Love may abound yet more and more in knowledge Phili 1:9 383. LOVING OTHERS 1 Jn 4:8; 1 Jn 5:2 384. LOVING NOT THE BRETHREN, LOVING NOT YOUR BROTHER 1 Jn 3:14
385 . LOVING NOT YOUR ENEMIES Mt 5:44; Lk 6:27 386. LOVING NOT YOUR NEIGHBOR Ro 13:9; Mt 19:19; Lk 10:27 387. LOVING THE WORLD 1 Jn 2:15 388. LOVING YOUR OWN LIFE Jn 12:25 389. LOVING YOUR OWN SELF 2 Tim 3:2 390. WOMEN, NOT LOVING YOUR CHILDREN Titus 2:4 391. LUKEWARM TOWARD GOD Rev 3:16 392.LUSTS OR LUSTFUL Jn 8:44; 2 Tim 4:3; Col 3:5,6 NIV; Mt 5:28 393. LUSTING AFTER EVIL THINGS 1 Cor 10:6 394. LUSTS OF OTHER THINGS Mk 4:19 395. MAKING A WAY TO FULFILL LUSTS Ro 13:14 396. YOUTHFUL LUSTS 2 Tim 2:22 Corruption.....is in the world through lust.....lusts war in your members....lusts tempt 2 Pe 1:4; Ja 4:1; 1:14,15
397. MALICE (ILL WILL) Mk 7:22; Ro 1:29; 1 Pe 2:1 NIV 398. EFFEMINATE (MALE PROSTITUTES) 1 Cor 6:9,10 399. BAD MANNERS 1 Cor 15:33 400. NOT SUBMITTING TO MAN’S LAWS Ro 13:2,3; 1 Pe 2:13-15 401. ABSTAINING FROM EATING MEAT 1 Tim 4:1-4 402. NOT BEING MERCIFUL Col 3:12; Lk 6:36 MIND-ALSO SEE THOUGHTS 403. FOLLOWING THE DESIRES OF THE MIND Eph 2:3 404. SETTING YOUR MIND ON THE THINGS OF THE EARTH Col 3:2 405. DOUBLE MINDED Ja 4:7-10; 1:8 406. MISCHIEF Pv 6:16,18; 10:23; Ps 28:3 Feet that swiftly runs to mischief (an abomination) Pv 6:18 407. MOCKERS Jude 18 MONEY-SEE RICHES 408. MURMURING Phili 2:14; Jn 6:43; Jude 16 409. MURMURING ABOUT JUST WAGES Mt 20:11 410. MURMURING AMONG YOURSELVES Jn 6:43 411. NAUGHTY Pv 6:12; Ja 1:21 412. NOT KEEPING OATHS Num 30:2-16 413. NOT OBEYING GOD’S WORD Heb 5:9; Acts 5:32 414. NOT OBEYING MAN’S LAWS 1 Pe 2:13-15 415. OBEYING WRONG THOUGHTS RATHER THAN GOD Gen 3:12,13 416. OBSERVING DAYS, MONTHS, TIMES Gal 4:10
| 500. RICHES, TRUSTING IN RICHES Mk 10:24; 1 Tim 6:17 Riches are deceiving and choke God’s Word Mt 13:22 501. TO THINK YOURSELF RIGHTEOUS Mk 2:17 502. RIOTING 2 Pe 2:13 503. RIOTOUS LIVING Lk 15:13,18 504. NOT KEEPING THE SABBATH OR DAY OF THE LORD Ex 20:8,9; Neh 13:15-19 505.SALVATION, SAYING CAN’T TURN FROM RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PERISH Ezek 18:24,25
506.BUYING AND SELLING FOR PERSONAL PROFIT IN GOD’S SANCTUARY Mk 11:15
507. NOT REVERENCING GOD’S SANCTUARY
Lev 26:2 SAVED-SEE BORN-AGAIN 508. TO SAY, THE LORD HATH FORSAKEN THE EARTH Ezek 8:12. 509. TO SAY, THE LORD SEETH US NOT Ezek 8:12. 510. SCOFFERS 2 Pe 3:3 511. BEING SCORNFUL Ps 1:1; Pv 9:12; 24:9 512. SEEKING A SIGN Mt 16:4; Lk 11:29 513. NOT SEEKING FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD Mt 6:33 514. SELFISHNESS Phili 2:21; 2 Tim 3:2; 3 Jn 9-11 515. SELFISH AMBITION Gal 5:19,20 NIV 516. SELF-RIGHTEOUS (HIGHMINDED) SELF-CONDEMNED Lk 16:15; Ro 11:20; Job 9:20; Mt 5:20 517. SELF-SERVING Lk 9:23 518. SELF-WILLED 2 Pe 2:10 519. SEX OUTSIDE MARRIAGE (FORNICATION) 1 Cor 5:11; 6:18,20 ; Ex 22:16,17 520. EVEN A HINT OF SEXUAL IMMORALITY (SIN) Eph 5:3 NIV 521. SEX WITH A PROSTITUTE 1 Cor 6:15-18 522. SEX WITH A VIRGIN-MARRY HER Deut 22:28,29 523. SEX WITH A VIRGIN (BETROTHED-IF SHE DOESN’T CRY OUT-BOTH DIE) Deut 22:23,24
524. SEX WITH A VIRGIN (BETROTHED-IF SHE CRIES OUT-HE DIES) Deut 27:20-23
525. SEX WITH A RELATIVE-CURSED Deut 27:20-23 526. IDOL (WORTHLESS) SHEPHERD LEAVING THE FLOCK Jn 10:12; Zech 11:17 527. SHEPHERD, NOT SEARCHING FOR GOD’S FLOCK Ezek 34:6-8 528. SHEPHERD, NOT FEEDING GOD’S FLOCK Ezek 34:8 529. SHEPHERD, NOT STRENGTHEN THE DISEASED Ezek 34:4 530. SHEPHERD, DID NOT BIND UP THAT WHICH WAS BROKEN Ezek 34:4
531. SHEPHERD, DID NOT BRING AGAIN THAT WHICH WAS DRIVEN AWAY Ezek 34:4
532. SHEPHERD, RULED WITH CRUELTY
Ezek 34:4 533. ENTICING A NATION TO SIN 1 Ki 14:16 534. KNOW TO DO GOOD, BUT DON’T DO IT, SIN Ja 4:17 535. MOCKING SIN (FOOLS) Pv 14:9 536. NOT ASHAMED OF YOUR SIN Jere 8:12 537. NOT CONFESSING YOUR SIN 1 Jn 1:9; Ja 5:16; Ps 32:5; Pv 28:13 538. SIN, YET NOT KNOW IT, STILL SIN Lev 4:13,14, 23 539. YIELDING YOUR MEMBERS UNTO SIN Ro 6:13 540. SAY YOU HAVE NOT SINNED 1 Jn 1:10 541. REFUSE TO ADMIT YOU ARE A SINNER Jere 8:6 1 Jn 1:8, 10; 542. REFUSE TO CONFESS YOUR SINS 1 Jn 1:9 No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known
Him 1 Jn 3:6 NIV
543. SLANDER (BACKBITERS) Mk 7:20-23 NIV; Ro 1:30, 2 Cor 12:20 544. SLANDERING YOUR NEIGHBOR IN SECRET Ps 101:5 545. SMOKING
Ro 12:1; 13:14; 1 Cor 3:16-18; 6:20; 2 Cor 4:10; 1 Pe 1:15; 1Thes 4:4, 5 546. SORCERIES Acts 8:11 547. TO START A FIRE THAT DOES DAMAGE-NOT MAKING RESTITUTION Ex 22:6
548. STEALING
Ex 20:15; Mk 7:22 549. STRIFE IN YOUR HEARTS Ja 3:14 550. NOT STRIVING TO ENTER HEAVEN Lk 13:24 551. NOT STRIVING TO ENTER HEAVEN-NOT WATCHING AND PRAYING MAY BE ACCOUNTED WORTHY Lk 21:36
552.STUBBORN, STUBBORNNESS IS AS INIQUITY AND IDOLATRY Isa 48:4-8; 1 Sam 15:23
553. STUBBORN SON-DEATH, HE IS CURSED Deut 21:18-21; 27:16; Mk 7:10 554. STUBBORN SON-REFUSING TO OBEY PARENTS IN THE LORD Eph 6:1
555. FARING SUMPTUOUSLY, FULLNESS OF BREAD Ezek 16:49 556. FARING SUMPTUOUSLY, BELLY IS YOUR GOD Phili 3:19 557. FARING SUMPTUOUSLY, LIVING IN LUXURY EVERYDAY Lk 16:19 558. FARING SUMPTUOUSLY, FULL OF EXCESS Mt 23:25 SWEARING-ALSO SEE CURSING 559. SWEARING Jere 23:10 560. TAKING BY FORCE 1 Sam 2:16 561. TATTLERS 1 Tim 5:13 562. TATTOOING Lev 19:28; Deut 14:1 563. NOT PAYING ALL THE TAXES YOU OWE Ro 13:6-8; Lk 20:25 564. TEACHING ANY DOCTRINE, OTHER THAN THE BIBLE 1 Tim 1:3 565. TELEVISION, WATCHING THINGS THAT ARE CONTRARY TO THE BIBLE Ps 101:3; Ja 1:27
566. WATCHING SIN OR WORLDLINESS Ps 101:3; Ja 1:27 566. LOSING YOUR TEMPER (ANGER) Col 3:8 567. BEING QUICK-TEMPERED Pv 14:17 568. CAUSING TENSION (STRIFE) Phili 2:3 569. NOT GIVING THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, NOT THANKFUL TO GOD 1 Thes 5:18; Ro 1:21
570. DOING THINGS THAT ARE NOT IN GOD’S WILL Mt 7:21 571. DOING THINGS THAT ARE NOT PLEASING TO GOD 1 Thes 2:15 572. THINKING HOW TO FULFILL THE DESIRES OF THE MIND, AND OF THE SINFUL NATURE Ro 13:13,14
573. TAKING THOUGHT FOR TOMORROW Mt 6:34 574. TAKING THOUGHT FOR YOUR LIFE, WHAT TO EAT, DRINK, PUT ON Mt 6:25
THOUGHTS-ALSO SEE MIND 575. EVIL THOUGHTS Mt 15:19; Mk 7:21 576. NOT GIVING TITHES AND OFFERINGS (CURSED) Mal 3:8,9; Lev 27:32; Deut 14:22 TONGUE-ALSO SEE CONVERSATION 577. TONGUE, CALLING EVIL GOOD AND GOOD EVIL Isa 5:20 578. TONGUE, CURSING THEM THAT HATE YOU Job 31:29,30; Mt 5:44 579. TONGUE, IDLE WORDS, SIN WITH TONGUE Mt 12:36; Ps 39:1 580. TONGUE, SLANDERING OR SPEAKING AGAINST A CHILD OF GOD Ps 50:20; Pv 6:19
581. TONGUE, SPEAKING WORDS OF HATRED Ps 109:3 582. THE TONGUE IS A WORLD OF SIN Ja 3:3-13 583. FORBIDDING TO SPEAK IN TONGUES 1Cor 14:39 584. FOLLOWING THE TRADITIONS OF MEN Col 2:8 585. TRADITIONS THAT OVERRIDE GOD’S COMMANDMENTS Mt 15:3 586. TRAITOROUS 2 Tim 3:4; Lk 6:16 587. TRUSTING IN OURSELVES 2 Cor 1:9 588. TRUCEBREAKING 2 Tim 3:3 589. UNBELIEVING Rev 21:8; Heb 3:12 590. UNCLEANNESS Mt 23:27 591. UNGRATEFUL 2 Tim 3:1,2 NIV 592. UNFAITHFUL WITH ANOTHER’S ITEMS Lk 16:10,12 593. UNMERCIFUL Ro 1:31 594. UNRIGHTEOUSNESS 1 Jn 5:17 595. UNTHANKFUL Ro 1:21; 2 Tim 3:2 596. BEING VAIN Ja 2:20; Titus 1:10 597. MAKING A VOW AND NOT KEEPING IT Ecc 5:4-6 598. BEING A VIOLENT MAN OR DOING VIOLENCE Ps 18:48; Lk 3:14; Ezek 8:17 599. WAGES, NOT BEING CONTENT WITH YOUR WAGES Lk 3:14; Mt 20:1-16 600. LOVING THE WAGES OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS 2 Pe 2:15 601. PAYING UNFAIR WAGES Ja 5:4 602.NOT WATCHING FOR THE SOON RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST Rev 3:3; Mk 13:35-37
603. WATCHING EVIL Ps 101:3 604. WHISPERER Pv 16:28 605. WICKEDNESS Ro 1:29 606. BEING WISE IN YOUR OWN EYES Isa 5:21 607.BEING A WITCH, OR HAVING ANYTHING TO DO WITH A WITCH Deut 18:10,11
Penalty for being a witch is death Ex 22:18 608. WITCHCRAFT Gal 5:20 609. REBELLION AS WITCHCRAFT 1 Sam 15:23 610. WIVES NOT SUBMITTING TO THEIR HUSBANDS Eph 5:22 611. WOMEN WEARING MEN’S CLOTHES Deut 22:5 WOMEN, WHAT THEY SHOULD WEAR-SEE CLOTHES (SINS AGAINST THE WORD) 612 TO 648 612.ADDING OR TAKING AWAY FROM THE WORDS OF THE BOOK OF THIS PROPHECY Rev 22:18,19
613. BEING STIFFNECKED TOWARDS GOD’S WORD Acts 7:51 614. CONTRADICTING THE WORD OF GOD Mt 16:22,23 615. CORRUPTING THE WORD OF GOD 2 Cor 2:17 616. DESPISING THE WORD OF GOD Isa 5:24; Num 15:30,31 617. DISOBEYING THE WORD OF GOD Gen 2:16,17; 3:12,13; 1 Jn 3:4 618.DISTORTING THE WORD OF GOD (THE TRUTH) 2 Pe 3:16 NIV; Acts 20:29,30 NIV 619.NOT TURNING AWAY FROM FALSE SCIENCE THAT CONTRADICTS GOD’S WORD 1 Tim 6:20
620. FORGETTING GOD’S TRUTH Ja 1:25, Pv 3:1 621. HANDLING GOD’S WORD DECEITFULLY 2 Cor 4:2 622. HATING INSTRUCTION Ps 50:17 623. MAKING GOD’S WORD VOID BY TRADITIONS Mk 7:13 624.NOT BELIEVING ALL OF THE BIBLE (ALL OF GOD’S WORD) (FOOL) 1 Jn 5:10; Lk 24:25; Jn 8:47; 10:26; 12:48 625.NOT DOING GOD’S WORD (DECEIVED) Ja 1:22; Lk 6:46; 8:21; Ezek 33:32 626. NOT HIDING GOD’S WORD IN YOUR HEART Ps 119:11 627. NOT KEEPING THE WORDS OF JESUS Jn 14:24 628. NOT LIVING BY ALL OF GOD’S WORD Mt 4:4; Lk 4:4 629.NOT OBEYING GOD’S WORD (THE GOSPEL) Lk 6:46,49; Acts 5:32; Ro 1:5; 2 Thes 1:8; 1 Tim 4:16; Heb 5:9 630. NOT PUTTING GOD’S WORD IN YOUR HEART Deut 6:6 631.NOT READING THE BIBLE (DAILY) Ps 1:2; Acts 17:11; 1Pe 2:2; 1 Tim 4:13 632. NOT RECEIVING THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH 2 Thes 2:10 633. NOT RIGHTLY DIVIDING GOD’S WORD 2 Tim 2:15 634.NOT STUDYING GOD’S WORD Pv 4:4,5,20,21; Jos 1:8; 2 Tim 2:15 635. NOT TEACHING GOD’S WORD TO YOUR CHILDREN Deut 6:7 636. NOT TOLERATING GOD’S WORD 2 Tim 4:3 637. NOT VALIANT FOR THE TRUTH (FOR GOD’S WORD) Jere 9:3 638. PERVERTING THE GOSPEL Gal 1:7,8 639.REJECTING THE WORD OF GOD 1 Sam 15:23,24; Jere 8:9; Lk 7:30 640. RESISTING THE TRUTH (THE WORD OF GOD) 2 Tim 3:8 641. STOPPING YOUR EARS FROM HEARING GOD’S WORD Acts 7:57 642. TAKING AWAY THE KNOWLEDGE OF HOW TO BE SAVED Lk 11:52 643. TAKING AWAY FROM THE WORDS OF THIS PROPHECY Rev 22:19 644. TO BE DESTITUTE OF THE TRUTH 1 Tim 6:5 645. TO ERR CONCERNING THE TRUTH 2 Tim 2:18 646.TRYING TO ENTER HEAVEN BY A WAY OTHER THAN THE GOSPEL’S WAY Jn 10:1-7
647. TWISTING GOD’S WORD (TO WREST OR DISTORT) 2 Pe 3:16 648. WILLINGLY IGNORANT OF GOD’S WORD 2 Pe 3:5 The essence of true religion (of salvation) is obedience to God’s Word and doing God’s Word, not just hearing God’s Word 1 Sam 15:19-24; Acts 5:32; Ezek 33:31
649. A MAN WHO WILL NOT WORK 2 Thes 3:10 (SINS RELATING TO THE WORLD) 650 TO 663 650. CONFORMING TO THIS WORLD Ro 12:2 651. FORSAKING GOD’S CALLING FOR THIS WORLD 2 Tim 4:10 652. FRIENDSHIP OF THE WORLD (IS HATRED WITH GOD) Ja 4:4 653. GETTING ENTANGLED WITH THE AFFAIRS OF THIS LIFE 2 Tim 2:4 654. GETTING SPOTTED FROM THE WORLD Ja 1:27 655. LIVING FOR YOURSELF 2 Cor 5:15; Lk 9:23 656. LOVING THIS WORLD 1 Jn 2:15-17; Ja 1:27; 4:4 657. LOVING YOUR LIFE Jn 12:25 658. MIND OR THOUGHTS ON THIS WORLD Phili 3:18,19 659. SERVING EARTHLY THINGS Ro 1:25 660. SPEAKING OF THE WORLD Jn 3:31; 1 Jn 4:5,6 661. SORROW OF THE WORLD 2 Cor 7:10 662. WORLDLY AMBITION Acts 8:18-24; Lk 12:15-21 663. WORLDLY MINDED Ro 8:5-7,13; 12:2 664. BEING WORRIED Phili 4:6; Mt 6:25 665. FALSE WORSHIP Isa 1:13 666. LETTING THE SUN GO DOWN ON YOUR WRATH Eph 4:26; Heb 3:13 667. YOUNGER, NOT SUBMITTING TO THE ELDER 1 Pe 5:5 |
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A Poem... Part of You Song of a Wife…Ode to her Husband
(Based on Genesis 2:24, God’s creation of Man and Woman and His institution of Marriage) You Love Me
I am Part of You Without Me, You’re incomplete
I am an essential Part of You *** You’re not better than Me
I am Part of You I’m not better than You
I am Part of You *** Without You, I cannot exist
I am an indespensible Part of You I Love You
I am Part of You
Endnote: Divorce may seem commonplace, accepted and even justifiable to us today, especially in the richer, more affluent countries. But God sees the union of man and woman differently and timelessly as Jesus declares in the Gospel of Mark,
“Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
(See all of Mark Chapter 10 especially Mark 10:8-9)
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Knowing God's Will Though many people these days are not believing the message of the Gospel of Christ Jesus, God is still working in the hearts and consciences of people who hear these truths from the Bible. Do you know God’s will and purpose for you/your life? 1) God wants you to repent from sin and believe in Him, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. 2) God wants you to receive the Holy Spirit and be filled with it continually (Do not be drunk with wine…or other lusts etc…). 3) God wants you to live a pure life absent, of sexual immorality. 4) God wants you to have an attitude of gratitude always waiting on His timing. 5) God wants you to ask Him for wisdom and listen to Him...Request rightly, at the right time and God will provide ;-) 6) Romans 12:1-2 says to present your body (behavior) as a living, holy sacrifice to God and to be transformed by Him (in you) and His Word (Do not be selfish and conformed to the world or loving the things in the world). 7) God wants the best for you, loves you more than you can ever imagine, died for you and wants to give you the inheritance of His Kingdom!! (We cannot fully understand this...yet) 8) God wants you to be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances. 9) God wants you to trust in Him completely and to trust in and obey His Word as infallible truth.
10) God wants you to abide in Him and not to be deceived in any circumstance. 11) God wants you to let the Peace of God Rule in your Heart, keeping a clear conscience before God and others. 12) God wants you to reflect His Glory and give Him all the glory, honor, boasting and praise for your very being and everything in your life as He created and destined it.
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Faith ACTIVATes GOD’S PROMISES
WE ACTIVATE GOD’S PROMISES WITH THE CATALYST OF FAITH. DO WE DARE TO FORCE GOD’S HAND? NO, GOD HAS FORCED HIS OWN HAND. GOD IS HONOR-BOUND TO KEEP HIS WORD.
“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16). Seeking Faith to BelieveJesus indicated that the key is to believe. Our problems with our children are not impossible, if we can just believe that they aren’t. We have power over our problems if we just believe that we do. A father brought his ailing son to Jesus, and asked if he could help. Jesus told him: “Everything is possible for him who believes” (Mark 9:23). When the apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith, “He replied, ‘If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it will obey you’” (Luke 17:5-6). But how can we make ourselves believe? The fact is, we can’t. We cannot believe. We cannot cause ourselves to have faith. But we can choose the focus of our attention. We can choose to focus our attention on problems or on promises! Finding Faith in FocusIf we focus on our circumstances and those of our children, we will be helpless and hopeless before them. If we focus on God’s faithfulness, God will generate inside of us a faith that can pluck up trees and rearrange nature if necessary to accomplish God’s will. God’s will. That is what we are talking about here. Remember the story of Hannah? Remember how we paraphrased Hannah’s words in 1 Samuel 1:28? Hannah was saying, “I trust God to do the right thing in Samuel’s life. I trust God to take over Samuel’s training where I cannot go. I accept whatever outcome God brings forth with my son.” We will not find a faith that believes God will work all things out our way. But we can find a faith that believes God will work all things out the best way. God said it like this: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). To find this faith, we must be willing to say with Hannah, “I accept whatever outcome God brings forth with my children.” Throughout the Bible, God did remarkable wonders in the lives of men and women who dared to accept in advance whatever outcome God brought forth, knowing whatever God did would be right. Whatever God does in our children’s lives will be right. How can we really believe this? Where can we find the faith? Herein lies the key to increasing our faith: “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).
Finding Faith in HistoryGod’s word is brimming with stories of his faithfulness down through the ages. It’s promises overflow into our lives as God illuminates them to us. We come before the Lord. We have focused our attention on the accounts in his Word of his faithfulness to men and women who walked according to his ways. We reach into God’s word and grab a fistful of these accounts in our left hand. Finding Faith in PromiseNow we reach deep into God’s Word, and clench tightly as many promises as we can hold in our right hand. We hold high before our God an open Bible. Every page is a promise and a testimony that our faithfulness to God will be multiplied beyond measure in his faithfulness back to us! We refresh ourselves in God’s promises which are as old as all ages and as new as today! And above our heads is our Banner Promise, the promise which undergirds our hope in all the others: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He is the same God who was faithful to Moses’ mother; to Samuel’s mother; to Timothy’s mother. He is the same God who was faithful to Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Jacob; to David, Joseph, Isaiah, Rahab, Joshua, and Hannah; to Peter, James, John, Mary, and Paul. He is the same God who has kept his promises to Christians unnamed and unnumbered down through the ages. Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not oneword has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. –1 Kings 8:56, Deuteronomy 7:9
Finding Faith in BoldnessHe is the same God who has been faithful to you and to me in the past. He is the same God. He will always be faithful. As we stand before our God we hold our hands high. Our left hand holds before him the testimonies we have gathered of his faithfulness. Our right hand waves God’s promises toward heaven like a flag of victory. God is honor-bound to keep his Word to us! Have we dared to force God’s hand? No, God has forced his own hand. We are nothing, unworthy, helpless and hopeless. God in mercy and love reached down through his Son our Savior and gave us hope and made us mighty in his Son. He gave us all power in his name. He has told us to come boldly before His throne. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).. In the Book of Hebrews we read that: God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. –Hebrews 6:10-19
ApplicationLet us give God the preeminence in our lives. Then God will teach us his promises. He dares us to hold him to them. We accept the challenge — and we have won. Our faith has been turned on. The catalyst that sets off God’s promises has been activated. The fulfillment of God’s promises has been accomplished. We simply await their enactment in a world bound by time! In the next few sessions, we will study these principles as they were applied in Joshua’s life. We will see how the Word of God enabled Joshua’s faith to “turn on” God’s promises. And we will see our mighty God respond! Thought to RememberWe will not find a faith that believes God will work all things out our way. But we can find a faith that believes God will work things out in a way greater than we could have ever imagined.
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Scriptures Related to Believers' Missions
Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.” The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.
--Psalm 96:10
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
--Psalm 105:1
In that day you will say: “Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.”
--Isaiah 12:4
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
--Matthew 28:19-20
He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
--Luke 10:2
Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father sent me, so I am sending you."
--John 20:21
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
--Acts 1:8
For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
--Romans 10:13-14
For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.
-Romans 3:23
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest…
--Galatians 6:9 Jesus said:
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
–John 15:4-5,16
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Born From Above An entry by Oswald Chambers about the birth of Christ reads: His birth in history. “Therefore also that holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” [That is the angel's announcement to Mary.] Jesus Christ was born into this world, not from it. He did not evolve out of history; He came into history from the outside. Jesus Christ is not the best human being; He is a Being who cannot be accounted for by the human race at all. He is not man becoming God, but God Incarnate, God coming into human flesh, coming into it from outside. His life is the Highest and Holiest entering in at the lowliest door. Our Lord’s birth was an advent.
He was born in a stable, and it is a debatable question to ask if He will come and have an advent in any person, except in that same way. He will not enter through any other door but the lowliest door, coming in as the Highest. So if we try to open a door to Him from the level of our own superiority or self-esteem, as if we deserve a visitation, He simply will not come. He will only come into a stable, the lowliest place. His advent is a paradigm and a pattern. It is a statement, not just once but always. For every advent of Christ, every birthing, the Highest has got to come into the lowliest, and not just at the commencement of our spiritual life, but at every event and occasion of our spiritual life. If He is to be a participant and bring the Highest, we have got to open to Him the lowliest. I love the way Chambers writes; leave it to him to strike that great note: “His life is the Highest and the Holiest entering in at the lowliest door.” He will never enter into a proud place. His birth was remarkable-there was no room for Him at the inn, so they had to employ the expediency of a stable. Then He was laid in a manger. I do not know how many years I went on hearing that as a kid, and then even as a believer, not knowing what a manger was. A manger is a feeding trough for animals. The place where the animals slobbered over their food is where He was laid. It is exquisite if you can see it from the point of view of God’s design and the expression, not only of His wisdom, but necessarily of His nature. This is not expediency for the lack of something better; this was God’s divine intention from eternity, that His advent would come in such a way, in such lowliness, or it could not come at all. We need to continually be reminded that if we are not experiencing the Highest, then we are not providing the lowliest. Chambers goes on to ask, “Have I allowed my personal human life to become a ‘Bethlehem’ for the Son of God? I cannot enter into the realm of the Kingdom of God unless I am born from above by a birth totally unlike natural birth. ‘Ye must be born again.’ This is not a command; it is a foundation fact. The characteristic of the new birth is that I yield myself so completely to God that Christ is formed in me. Immediately when Christ is formed in me, His nature begins to work through me. God manifest in the flesh: that is what is made profoundly possible for you and me by the Redemption.”
Compare this to the more mainline evangelism, which is more a decisional Christianity. The preacher makes an altar call, the person comes forward, makes a confession, recites a prayer, and he commences his Christian life. It is a good question whether an actual birth has taken place if it is initiated by man, however well-meaning his intention, however moved he is by the message, however much he now desires to be a Christian or to forsake sin. Can man initiate that birth that has got to be wholly given of God? It is clear that there are untold numbers, maybe millions of people, who have entered Christianity decisionally; it was their decision, but it was not His birthing. It is good to be reminded that this birthing is from above, and we cannot commence this life and obtain this nature, except that it is actually birthed in us. We need to insist upon this divine prerogative, and look for that, and believe for that, and wait for that, and trust in that, and not religiously process people into a kind of evangelical Christianity by virtue of their decision. I am taking note of Chambers’ conclusion here. If that birthing has taken place and is the birthing of the nature of God, the divine nature into an earthly vessel, the incarnation again, then there should be evidence. Such a phenomenon cannot take place without there being some expression, some outworking of that new nature, that divine thing. If one of these decisional Christians has gone on now for 10, 15, 20 or more years and is not showing evidence of the divine nature, notwithstanding the ongoing struggle between flesh and spirit, we need to ask if indeed the new nature has been imparted. If there is no evidence of a new nature, then it is not too extreme to raise the question of whether there has been a new birth. We should even encourage the one who is not evidencing that nature, and is acting contrary to it, to put that question to the Lord: Have I really ever been born from above? If not, Lord, I implore You that that birth might come.
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Christian Observance of Easter
Why do Christians CELEBRATE together at this particular time of year? Because our Lord, Jesus Christ’s death & resurrection are documented in the New Testament at the yearly recurrance of the Jewish feast of Passover. One of the NT references is in the Gospel of John:
| John | 13:1 | Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that his time had come that he would depart out of this world to his Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. |
Easter and the holidays that are related to it are moveable feasts, in that they do not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars (both of which follow the cycle of the sun and the seasons). Instead, the date for Easter is determined on a lunisolar calendar, as is the Hebrew calendar. Theological Significance The Holy Bible presents and explains the shadow of Christ saving the world from sin through the feast of Passover. It contains many other shadow types of Jesus and prophecies of God. The life, death and resurrection of Christ are some of the main, fulfilled prophecies. It is Christ's death which paid for all our sins and frees us from the Law, which brought sin and death as its punisment for us, who are all lawbreakers before God (See Romans 3:23). The only stipulations are actually gifts from God himself; true faith and belief in Jesus of Nazareth as God and Savior, confession of sin to true repentance before Him and a new, sincere will to follow Jesus Christ as Lord - our Passover Lamb - His blood paid the FULL price for ALL our sins, once and for all! Since He rose again and lives to rule and judge the world, we who are forgiven and believe God and His Word, have been recconciled to God, accepted as His adopted children, loved as His own, Israel, and will live with Him forever in His Kingdom after this life! The Christian tradition, based on New Testament and later writings, links the Last Supper with Passover. Easter itself commemorates the resurrection of Jesus, and not his crucifixion. For Further investigation: See Zec 12:10, Acts 2:22-28, 1 Cor 5:6-8 and Col 2:16 A Few of the Prophecies of Jesus Christ in the Old and New Testaments: Gen 3:15, Num 21:9, Dt 18:15, Isa 7:14, 9:6, 40:10-11, Chapter 53, Eze 34:23, Dan 9:24, Mic 7:20, Mal 3:1, Jn 1:45
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A New Christian Documentary Sexual addiction robs the people at both ends of their humanity, a documentary from a Christian ministry warns.
"We sort of one-dimensionalize people," said Steve Siler , producer of, "Somebody's Daughter: A Journey to Freedom from Pornography." "We think they're just flesh or body parts as opposed to seeing them as human beings." The two-part documentary, which begins tonight on the ION television network, follows three men and a couple active in Christian ministry who fight and overcome porn addictions. Siler said the program was inspired by a friend and fellow Christian musician who found the courage to confess an addiction. "He said, 'I'm addicted to porn, and if I don't tell somebody about it I'm going to lose everything.' Everybody would know his sins," Siler said of the friend, recording artist John Mandeville , who participated in the documentary. "He had a beautiful wife, beautiful daughter, and was at risk of losing it all - over pixels." According to the Web site of Focus on the Family, a Christian organization that supports Siler, about 20 percent of the clergy has a problem with pornography. "Our pastors are flesh and blood," Siler said. "And we imbue them with these supernatural qualities that they simply don't have. Our pastors deal with all the pain and all the need a congregation has, so I would say our pastors are susceptible to this sort of thing because our pastors are always giving." Many of the calls to the Focus on the Family help line are pornography-related, according to the organization's Web site. That doesn't come as a surprise to the Rev. Jim Johnson , pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Longview. "You know, the church is made out of people who struggle with the same kinds of temptations that anybody has," Johnson said. "We're part of society, and we struggle, too. Over the years, I've done counseling. We've actually had men's retreats focused on this issue." Johnson did not know personally of any ministers fighting a porn addiction, but he agreed that preachers are people, too. "I'm sure ministers are affected by it as well," he said. He also said he was fascinated by the "wholesale ignorance and skepticism" he encountered from participants at a women's retreat. " 'Oh, no.' Men are not like that, my husband is not like that,' " Johnson quoted the women's responses. "It was one of the oddest experiences I think I've ever had." The Rev. Tim Watson made pornography the subject of a September 2005 sermon, likening it to the Black Plague that ravaged Europe for three centuries. "There is a new epidemic, a new disease, that is spreading throughout our country," he said to the First Baptist Church of Longview congregation. "I see marriages being destroyed, people losing their jobs because they are viewing Internet pornography at work." The most sinister delivery system for porn might be its newest - the Internet, which blasts millions of Siler's pixels that congeal into images on computer screens. Internet porn accounts for $5 billion of the pornography industry's $13 billion annual take in the United States, Siler said. "Pornography is such a selfish act," he said. "You're taking something from someone without having to give in return. And it's a dehumanizing thing for both parties. You're also numbing yourself, because you're taking something from somebody that wasn't intended for you." Johnson said pornography is a unique attack by Satan on the church because it is used in secrecy. "We need to understand these things," he said. "Scripture talks about the light. My thinking is, this is a particular sin that absolutely thrives in the darkness like a mold. So, the first tactic is to bring it into the light." Siler added a spiritual reminder for anyone fighting a pornography habit. "God's mercy is new every morning," he said. * * *
If you watch What: "Somebody's Daughter: A Journey to Freedom from Pornography" When: Sunday, Dec. 7 (times unavailable) Where: ION Network, Direct TV Channel 305 Contact: Go to www.SomebodysDaughter.org Contact Perfect Plan Ministries to receive a copy of the DVD
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The "I AM" statements of Christ "I AM the Bread of Life"--John 6:35.
"I AM the Light of the World"--John 8:12.
"I AM the Door of the Sheep"--John 10:7.
"I AM the Good Shepherd"--John 10:11.
"I AM the Resurrection and the Life"--John 11:26 (part 1, part 2).
"I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life"--John 14:6 (part 1, part 2).
"I AM the True Vine"--John 15:1 (part 1, part 2).
"Before Abraham was, I AM"--John 8:58.
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On Being Born Again We know that in the Gospel of John, Jesus said we must be born again. Was this not an absolutely foundational teaching of our Lord, His apostles, and the Church down through the ages? Yes, of course it was, and without this there is no true Christianity. But error cloaked in Biblical terms is still error. In the case of the current born-again movement, Scriptural terminology is being used to teach just the opposite of its original meaning. The great doctrine of man's need for regeneration (i.e. miraculous new birth) is being presented in a way that denies the very point it is supposed to teach. Stated simply the error is this—that men are born again as a result of something they do. This something may be 'going forward' at the close of an evangelistic message, making a 'decision' for Christ, or 'repenting' and 'believing' the gospel. Whatever the requirement that is put before the sinner, the impression is given that sinful man himself is the one who brings about regeneration. The sad results of such a teaching can be seen all around us. Evangelists who believe that men dead in sin can and will turn to God if the right kind of emotional and psychological inducement is presented, push and pressure lost people into making 'decisions.' Whatever is necessary to get people to come forward, or raise their hand, or sign a card, is tried by today's 'soul winners.' Highly emotional meetings, prolonged appeals, repeated musical choruses, and even the deceitful tactic of having counselors strategically placed in the audience to come forward at the time of the 'appeal'—all smack of the techniques of crowd psychology. Those who do come forward (or raise their hand, or sign a card) are then coached into believing that God has come into their lives, and that they are now 'saved.' Deep down, though, they know that nothing has really happened. The evangelist has done something, the lost person has done something, but God has done nothing. There has been no miracle. The person may give mental assent to the doctrine of the new birth and try to rejoice in it, but there has been no supernatural passing from death to life. (Eph. 2:4-51 This is why most of the 'converts' of this kind of 'born-againism' show no real zeal for God, and many fall away completely after a month or two. That some people are brought into the kingdom in these situations is no doubt true. But it is in spite of these methods, not because of them. If we turn to the section of Scripture most often quoted regarding the new birth we find the Lord teaching just the opposite of the modem 'soul-winner.' In John, Chapter 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus, 'You must be born again.' What did the Lord mean by this statement? First of all, it should be noted that Jesus said nothing of any action or decision that Nicodemus must make, nor did He even tell him to repent and believe the gospel. As a matter of fact, Jesus was not telling Nicodemus to do anything! 'You must be born again!' was not a command Nicodemus was to obey, it was simply a statement of fact. Nicodemus, in his blindness, misunderstood this statement and asked how anyone could do such a thing as that—a man 'cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?' To this Jesus said in effect, 'I'm not talking to you about you doing anything, I'm talking about God doing something.' 'I'm talking about the Spirit of God coming and miraculously generating life, in you. You being flesh can only produce flesh. Only the Spirit of God can produce the spiritual birth you must have in order to enter the Kingdom of God, and God's Spirit blows where He wishes.' (John. 3:1-8) The modern evangelist's techniques and teachings are conspicuously absent in this account. The Lord gave Nicodemus no 'Four Spiritual Laws,' nor any instructions on 'How to be Born Again,' and He certainly used no manipulative tricks. He was concerned to emphasize just one thing. Regeneration is a miraculous work of God's Spirit. We can, and must, tell men to turn from their sins and believe the Gospel, but in doing this we should realize that when a man does repent and believe, it is the result of God's prior regenerative working within him. If this were not the case, if man must actually initiate his own salvation, then it would be impossible to escape the conclusion that men do not need regeneration at all, but possess in themselves an innate goodness which causes them to seek after God. Though it be ever so slight, this goodness is then the ultimate reason why one man is saved and another is lost. But the apostle Paul clearly teaches the contrary when he writes: There is none righteous, not even one;
There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God...
There is none who does good,
There is not even one. (Rom 3:10-12) Here Paul states plainly that there is no 'spark of goodness' in man that causes him to respond to the gospel. In fact, man, blinded by sin and Satan, does not even understand the gospel. He is in total rebellion against God and His truth. If regeneration were contingent upon man first desiring God, no one would ever be born again, for 'there is none who seeks for God.' Moreover, if man must ultimately be given credit for coming to God, Christianity is turned into just one more of the world's man-centered religions or cults which teach salvation by works. And such man-centered systems offer a false hope, for it is simply impossible for sinful man to make himself different than he is—he needs a new heart, he needs to be 'Born again!' Again, it should be stressed that we are certainly to tell men to seek God. We must tell them to believe and receive Christ. But these commands will fall on spiritually deaf ears unless God first generates life through the inward workings of His Holy Spirit. You may protest that this makes God the ultimate determiner of who is saved. To this the apostles and prophets with one voice cry, 'Amen!' 'Salvation is from the Lord.' Christians, as John puts it in the opening chapter of his gospel, are people, 'who were born not...of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.' (Jn. 1:13) That's why we give thanks to God when someone is converted. We know that God has graciously wrought a miracle— the sovereign, supernatural miracle of the new birth. This truth should give us confidence to present the pure gospel, knowing that it is not up to us to somehow maneuver and manipulate men into Christianity. It should also bring us to our knees before the God Who is sovereign in salvation. Only He can remove the heart of stone and give a new heart. Only He can give life to the dead. Only He deserves the blessing, glory, and honor."
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A Summary Definition of the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
A. IN THE "PRESENT" SENSE...
1. It is found wherever the SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD is accepted in the
hearts of men
2. It is a SPIRITUAL KINGDOM, for God rules in the hearts of men
3. Its outward manifestation today is the LORD'S CHURCH
4. The kingdom was "INAUGURATED" on the Day of Pentecost as
recorded in Acts 2 - cf. Acts 2:36
B. IN THE "FUTURE" SENSE...
1. The kingdom will be "CULMINATED" with the coming of the Lord
a. When Jesus "delivers the kingdom to God the Father" - 1 Corinthians
15:24
b. "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father." - Matthew 13:43
2. It will be that "NEW HEAVENS AND NEW EARTH" described by Peter
and John
a. "In which righteousness dwells" - 2 Peter 3:13
b. In which "the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will
dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God
Himself will be with them and be their God." - Revelation 21:3
3. It will be experienced only by those in the church who are
submitting to God's will
a. Those who do "the will of My Father in heaven" - Matthew 7:21-23
b. Those who are "diligent to be found by Him in peace" - 2 Peter
3:13-15a
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Paul – The Born-Again Christian Jew
Paul said:
"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,5and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them–yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
1 Corinthians 15:3-11 All of the first believers in Jesus Christ were Jewish. Jesus Himself was a Jew (a Nazarene) making the whole foundation of Jesus’ Church on Earth Jewish. Because of this, the Apostle Paul embodies a special conundrum that contemporary Jews, who don’t believe in Jesus as Messiah, must consider. Saul of Tarsus was one of the best and smartest Pharisees Judaism had ever produced from the Tribe of Benjamin. He persecuted the Nazarenes (Christians) zealously and vehemently, overseeing and approving of their deaths. However, because of his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, Saul became born-again spiritually as Paul, the Super-Apostle of the Christians. He spread the Christian gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ throughout the world. So the question for contemporary, non-believing Jews is this: Who was right in what he did, Saul or Paul? If Saul the Pharisee was right, he would have been justified in killing the blasphemers of God and Christianity might even have been stamped out. If Saul the Pharisee was wrong, he would be guilty of (at the very least) murder before God on Judgment Day. If Paul the Convert was right, he was forgiven his sins against God and Christianity is The Way for all, especially Jews, to be saved from the wrath of God against their sin. If Paul the Convert was wrong, he wouldn’t have been accepted by the Jews or Christians - but he was. Much of the time he went into the synagogues on the Sabbath preaching the Gospel which many Jews did come to believe. Paul suffered much for the Gospel of Christ, but it was only after many years of preaching a teaching about Jesus that he was martyred for his faith.
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Everyone Needs to Hear the Good News...!!! For over 2,000 years now, God's Good News (The Gospel) has been given to the World in the Scriptures of the Holy Bible (His Inspired Word). These Scriptures have been supernaturally handed down and preserved by God himself through the Jews and Christians for the past 5,000 years. God has has said that these things are very important and need to be heard and learned by ALL people as long a He allows the light of His Truth to shine and the Gospel of Christ, the promised Messiah of the Jews and the Savior of the Gentiles (all other peoples) will be believed by those who will humble themselves, repent and be redeemed by and reconciled to God for eternity. God, in His infinite mercy, is waiting for those He has created and called to hear and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord. All of mankind have been in spiritual darkness, depraved and sinful from birth (because of Adam's sin) but, the Good News is that if you realize your wrongs against Him and become truly sorry toward God, repenting and turning from sin by God's Holy Spirit, you can be forgiven and saved from the punishment of Death/Hell by believing and trusting in Jesus Christ and His Atoning Sacrifice (for all of your sins). If you do this, you will be Born Again, spiritually into Eternal Life with Him. Read the gospel of John chapters 1-3. Jesus said, "I Am the Way, The Truth and the Life," and, "The Truth will set you Free!" God also says in Isaiah 53, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray," and in Ezekiel 18, "The soul that sins, it shall die," and in Roman 3, "There is none righteous, no, not one." God has been reaching out toward the people who love and believe in Him since He created them. God cannot tolerate sin (which began with Adam in Genesis) but He has given us a Way to be righteous before Him - Jesus Christ is the only payment/sacrifice that God accepts to pay our sin death penalty. You probably think you're a pretty good person because everybody sins and so it's no big deal, right? You might even think God will just forgive you of everthing and accept you into Heaven when you die. The truth is, that the wrath of God is on you as a sinner and Law breaker. You should know, and your conscience should convict you (in your heart before God) for breaking God's Holy Laws in the Ten Commandaments. For example, if you have ever lied, you are a liar and if you have ever stolen, you are a theif. This is very serious because the only way God has made for us to avoid the penalty of death and to be forgiven is by acknowleging that Jesus paid our fine (death) on the cross and believing and trusting in Him is the only way to be made righteous (without sin) before God on Judgement Day. Moses said to the Jews in the Book of Deuteronomy 18:15:
"The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to Him."
This prophecy was fulfilled according to Acts 3:17-26
Peter said to the Jews, `My brothers, I know that you and your rulers killed Jesus because you did not understand what you were doing. But in this way God did what he had told us would happen. Through all the prophets he had told us that Christ would suffer.
`Stop doing wrong things. Turn to God again. Then the wrong things you have done will be wiped away altogether. The Lord will give you a new start and make you very glad. He will send you Jesus. He was the one God chose to be the Christ. But he must wait in heaven until the time when all things will be made new again as they were at first. By his holy prophets God spoke of all this from the beginning. Moses himself said, "The Lord God will raise up for you a Prophet like me. He will be one of your brothers. You must listen to everything that the Prophet says to you. And everyone who does not obey that Prophet will be cut off from his people altogether." `Prophets spoke at the time of Samuel, and prophets spoke after that time. They all have told about these days also. You are the people who have received what the prophets promised. And you have received the agreement which God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, "Through your children all the nations of the earth will receive blessing." God raised up and sent his Son to you first to bless you. He blesses you when each one of you stops doing wrong things.' Peter proclaims the Gospel in Acts 2:22-24
Peter said, “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
Acts 2:36-40
Peter said, "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."
Paul proclaims the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4:
"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."
With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."
Peter proclaims the Gospel in Acts 4:8-12
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is
" 'the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Romans 1:16-20
Paul said, “ I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." Acts 5:28-32:
The Jewish high priest asked the apostles, `Did we not tell you that you must never teach again in this name? But here you are, teaching people all over Jerusalem in this name. You are trying to put on us the blame for this man's death.'
Then Peter and the other apostles answered them, `We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, the one you killed by hanging on a dead tree. God has made Jesus great at his right side. He has made him leader and Saviour. He has done this so that the people of Israel may stop doing wrong things and be forgiven. We know these things are true. So does the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.' The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
Romans 6:23
For the wages which sin pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord.
Paul proclaims the Gospel in Romans 3:21-26
Paul said, ”But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”
Romans 4:4-8
Paul said, “Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
"Blessed are they
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man
whose sin the Lord will never count against him."
Romans 5:1-11
Paul said, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” Romans 6:1-14
Paul said, ”What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”
Paul proclaims the Gospel in Romans 8:1-4
Paul said, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.”
Romans 8:28-39
Paul said, “ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
‘For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 10:1-13
Paul said, “ Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who does these things will live by them." But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) "or 'Who will descend into the deep?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Romans 14
Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written:
" 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.' "So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
1 Corinthians 1:23-25
Paul said, “We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.”
1 Corinthians 2:12-14
Paul said, "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."
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A Brief History of the Jews Jews are a people who in ancient times spoke Hebrew and practised Judaism. Many Jews alive today do neither. That is because you can be Jewish either by faith (believing in Judaism) or, some say, by race (your mother was Jewish). There are not many Jews and never have been. For much of their history they did not even have a country of their own, yet their effect on mankind has been profound. They have literally been scattered all over the Earth. Much of mankind, in fact, gets its ideas about religion from the Jews, either through Christianity or Islam, which are both rooted in Judaism. In 1200 BC Moses led the Jews out of Egypt where they had been slaves for hundreds of years. He was taking them back to Israel where they had lived before, the Promised Land, (promised to Abraham through his descendants, Isaac and Jacob generations earlier by God). On the way, Moses went to the top of Mount Sinai and talked to God. He received God’s Law and delivered it to the Jews. There were over 600 laws. The first ten are known as the Ten Commandments. All of the laws are written down in a book now known as the Books of the Torah (Law) and the Prophets, the Holy Book of the Jews. God chose the Jews to preserve His Word in the Holy Scriptures on Earth. From this time on, God revealed to the Jews through the Jewish Prophets, the coming of the Messiah, A Holy One, who would restore justice and peace on Earth. Moses never entered the Promised Land before he died. When the Jews got there they found other people living in Israel. On orders from God, the Jews killed them and took back their land. It took 200 years but by 1000 BC, David entered Jerusalem and was crowned king. His son, King Solomon built the Temple of God in Jerusalem, full of gold. According to the Bible, the Jews then turned their backs on God, so God let the Assyrians and then the Babylonians take their land and carry the Jews off to other lands. Those taken to Babylon called it the Babylonian Captivity. Most of the Jews never returned to Israel, but some did. There was a short period under the Maccabees when they lived under foreign rulers: Persians, Greeks and at last Romans. While under Roman rule, A Jew named Jesus of Nazareth, God incarnate and the greatest man who ever lived, proclaimed Himself to be the Jewish Messiah, The Christ. He was then believed on by some but scorned by the Jewish leaders. The Jews campaigned for the suffering, crucifixtion and death of Jesus by the Romans. Jesus died and was raised by God (The Father) on the third day as He had prophesied. Those who believed in Jesus and followed his teachings became known as followers of The Way, or also called Christians. Paul (aka Saul of Tarsus) a devout Jew who persecuted the Christians, was converted to The Way by Jesus Himself on the Road to Damascus and along with the Apostle Peter, became one of the founders of the Christian Church. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Peter and Paul wrote letters which became the New Testament Books of the Holy Bible. The other authors of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, James and Jude were also devout Jewish followers of Jesus. During the First Century AD, The Romans found the Jews to be troublesome. They had to keep too much of their army in Israel to keep the peace. The Jews rose up against them in 70 AD and the Jerusalem Temple was completely destroyed by the Romans. After the second time in 135 AD the Romans forced the Jews out of Israel. They did not come back again in large numbers till the 1800s. They went to Asia, Africa and Europe. Some went to live in the trading towns along the Rhine. Over time they moved east and settled in Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Russia. By 1930 this is where most of the world’s Jews were living. Beginning on Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass) November 9th, 1938, Hitler's rule of Nazism ordered the killing Jews and eventually 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust of theSecond World War. After the war, in 1948, the Jews were allowed to resettle Israel as their country again. Today eight Jews in ten live in either Israel or America. More live in America than in Israel, especially in and near the cities of New York, Miami and Los Angeles. Here is a look at history in a list format:
4,000 BC to 2400 BC: first peoples, the descendants of Adam and Eve & Tower of Babel scatters them and confuses all their languages.2300 BC: Noah and the Great Flood. From one of Noah's sons, Shem, is born the Semites or Jews.2000 BC: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob inherit the blessings of God's Covenant with Israel.1700 BC: Canaanite army defeated at Megiddo by Egyptian pharoah Thutmose, consolidating Egyptian rule over Canaan. The Jews that Jacob's son Joseph saved from famine were made Egyptian slaves for 400 years.1300 BC: Moses leads the Jews out of Egypt circa 1200 BC: Philistines arrive by ship and give the name "Palestine" to the area; Jews start to arrive in Land of Israel 990 BC: Jerusalem captured by King David and Israel unified as one nation 950 BC: First Temple built by King Solomon 928 BC: After a fight over taxation, Israel splits into two nations: "Judah" in the south and "Israel" in the north 597 BC: Babylonians send army to put down a rebellion and take prominent Jews into exile 586 BC: Babylonians arrive to put down another rebellion, destroy the First Temple, and remove more Jews into exile 539 BC: Babylonians defeated by Persians 538 BC: Cyrus the Great of Persia allows the Jews to return to Israel and rebuild temple in return for loyalty oath to Persia 515 BC: Second Temple built 332 BC: Alexander the Great of Macedonia conquers Persia and takes over their empire, including Palestine; Hellenization of Israel begins 170-164 BC: Maccabee revolt against forced Hellenization; Jewish independence 63 BC: Roman legions, under General Pompey, conquer Jerusalem 37 BC: Herod the Great installed by Romans as vassal king 4 BC: Jesus Christ, the Messiah and greatest Jew who ever lived is born! circa AD 33: Jesus suffers, is crucified (by the Romans as demanded by the Jews). On the third day after his death, Jesus was witnessed as risen from the dead by more than 500 people. This was documented by Luke and Paul in the New Testament Scriptures. God's New Covenant is made which now allows the Gentiles to be saved into God's Kingdom. Orthodox Jews cause widespread persecution of the followers of Jesus which begin to be called "Christians".AD 66-70: Jewish revolt of Roman rule causes war and the destruction of Jerusalem and Second Temple which Jesu had predicted before his death. The Diaspora or scattering of the Jews throughout the Earth begins.AD 73: Masada falls AD 130-2: Hadrian outlaws circumcision and plans to rebuild Jerusalem as a pagan city AD 132-135. Bar Kochba rebellion. Jews crushed by Romans, sold into slavery, and driven into exile (the Diaspora). Jerusalem is rebuilt as Aelia Capitolina. AD 200-215: Mishnah edited in Israel by Rabbi Ha Nasi AD 313: Roman emperor Constantine converts to Christianity, grants freedom of worship to Christians throughout Empire and the Jews become more and more widely scattered minorities. AD 395: Rome splits into western and eastern (Byzantium) empires AD 638: Omar defeats the Byzantine army at the Yarmuk River (in Syria); Muslims rule Palestine AD 1009: Caliph El-Hakim destroys Holy Sepulchre AD 1071: Seljuk Turks forbid Christians to enter Jerusalem AD 1095: Pope Urban II launches Crusades AD 1099: Crusaders take Jerusalem after a five-week siege; thousands of Jews and Muslims are killed or sold into slavery AD 1144: Jews in Norwich, England accused of torturing and killing a Christian boy to use his blood in a ritual. This was the first of the "blood libels" that led to mob violence against Jews throughout Europe. AD 1187: Saladin retakes Jerusalem AD 1188-92: Third Crusade under Richard I the Lionheart fails to retake Jerusalem but wins access for pilgrims. AD 1400: Israel under Mameluke rule from Egypt; Jews begin emigrating to Palestine to escape persecution in Europe AD 1492: Jews expelled from Spain AD 1516: Mamelukes defeated by Ottoman empire AD 1537: Suleyman the Magnificent orders new walls and gates built around Jerusalem AD 1839: Sir Moses Montefiore, a British jew, calls for creation of a Jewish state AD 1896: Theodor Herzl publishes Der Judenstat, which leads to formation of the World Zionist Congress 1903: Herzl presents a plan to create a Jewish homeland in Uganda to the Sixth Zionist Congress 1917: British General Allenby captures Jerusalem from the Turks. Balfour declaration issued: "His Majesty's government favourable views the creation of a national Jewish home in Palestine." During WWI, many millions are killed under Lenin/Trotsky and the Jewish Bolshevik rule in Russia which Stalin inherits.1923: British split off 70% of Palestine and hand it over to Emir Abdullah as "Jordan" 1929: Arab pogroms against Jews in Jerusalem, Hebron, and Safed 1933: Rise of the German Nazi 3rd Reich begins and the public profiling and outcasting of Jews in German and Austrian society goes on for 7 years.1934: Stalin creates Jewish Autonomous Region in the eastern Siberian region of Birobidzhan, a frigid alternative to Zionism 1937: British propose ending their Mandate and partioning the remainder of Palestine (the 30% left after the splitting off of Jordan) into separate Jewish and Arab states. The partition is accepted by the Jews but rejected by the Arabas. November 9, 1938: Kristallnacht - The Night of Broken Glass begins the Jewish Holcaust in Europe ultimately killing 6 Million+ Jews by 1946 in WW II.1939: In an attempt to win Arab support for the impending war with Germany, British issue "White Paper" cutting off Jewish immigration to Palestine. 1944: under pressure from the British, the United States accepts 982 Jewish refugees from liberated Italy and inters them in a concentration camp in Oswego, New York for eventual deportation back to Europe; these are the only Jews allowed into the U.S. during World War II.1945: U.S. President Roosevelt promises King Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia that he will not support a Jewish state in Palestine November 29, 1947: United Nations votes for the partition of the remainder of Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem a neutral international city. The United States embargoes arms sales to the Jews while the British sell arms freely to the Arabs; with support from Stalin, the Jews are ultimately able to purchase $12 million of rifles from Czechoslovakia. May 14, 1948: State of Israel declared. British withdraw. New state attacked simultaneously by Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt. Palestinian Arabs were encouraged by the invading armies to vacate their homes to facilitate a quick war and complete victory. July 1949: The fighting is over but the Israelis refuse to let the Palestinian Arabs who fled to return to their homes. Meanwhile, Jews living in Arab countries jump or are pushed into emigrating to Israel. There are more than 500,000 refugees on each side of the conflict. The Arabs leave the Palestinians in makeshift tent camps. The Israelis begin to build cheap ugly concrete apartment blocks for all the Jews from Arab countries. 1956: Egyptian Colonel Nasser seizes Suez Canal from Anglo-French stockholders. The Canal and Straits of Tiran are closed to Israeli or Israel-bound ships. This prompts an invasion of the Sinai by French, British, and Israeli forces. The armies are forced to retreat under pressure from the Soviet Union and United States. This underscores a humiliating loss of influence and power for the English. 1967: Six Day War. Israel and the Arab countries have been in an The official state of war since 1948. However, the first five months of 1967 brought an intensification of hostilities with the Egyptians moving troops into the Sinai and closing the shippping lanes, the Syrians shelling farms in the north, and terrorist attacks coming through all the borders. On June 5, 1967 Israel launched a preemptive strike on all fronts. After six days, the Israelis had conquered the Sinai, the Golan Heights, the West Bank, and Jerusalem. September 1970: Palestinians hijack four commercial airplanes, fly them to Jordan, and blow them up. This was the last straw for King Hussein, whose minority Hashemite rule had been threatened by the Palestinian Arab military force for some time. Hussein launches massive military campaign to expel all the armed Palestinians from Jordan. More than 5000 Palestinians are killed and this leads to the formation of the Black September terrorist group. Most of the best-armed Palestinians wind up in Lebanon, destabilizing the government there. 1973: Yom Kippur War. The Arabs struck back, easily rolling over Israel's Maginot-style line in the Sinai. After three weeks or so, with heavy American support, the Israelis managed to cross the Suez into Egypt proper and were within 20 miles of Damascus before the US put a halt to the war. November 1977: Anwar Sadat visits Menachem Begin in Jerusalem for peace negotiations. September 1978: Camp David Accords. March 1979: Israel and Egypt sign a peace treaty, ending more than 30 years of war. June 7, 1981: Israel bombing raid destroys Iraqi nuclear reactor; the United Nations responds by "Urg[ing] all Member States to provide necessary technical assistance to Iraq to restore its peaceful nuclear programme." October 6, 1981: Anwar Sadat assassinated by Islamic fundamentalists. 1982: Israel invades Lebanon and destroys PLO infrastructure there. July 1994: Israel and Jordan sign a peace treaty, ending 46 years of war. November 4, 1995: Pro-compromise Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin killed at a peace rally by a Jewish right-wing assassin. In 1997 and 1998: six Islamist extremists were convicted and sentenced to life in prison for their roles in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York. January 2000 - 2008: World is in constant war and countries struggle for power and independence amidst many world-wide epidemics and natural disasters.
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What Is A Cult? Their defensiveness is certainly understandable because definitions of anything will be arbitrary if there is not an agreed upon reference point. Someone said, "If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything". The media seems to have no problem using the word cult as we see it across the headlines whenever some tragedy occurs related to some religious group. The media's reference points are those which are sensationalistic, destructive, and/or bizarre. The more "neutral" liberal academic definition would say a cult, or sect, or aberrational group is that which is new on the scene, relatively small in number and has not been accepted by the mainstream established religions of that culture. But for the Christian, the reference point is what the Bible teaches. Christians believe that God defines reality though the revelation of propositional truths in the Bible. The word "cult" is not in the Bible but its direct corollary is heresy or heretic. Other Biblical terms are false teachers, false prophets and false brethren. Other related and descriptive expressions are "such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles (ones sent with authority) of Christ, (2Corinthians 11:13) and as Jesus warned, "Beware of the false prophets who come in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." (Matthew 7:15) In fact, the topic of deception and false religious worship is so significant to the Christian life and message that every book in the New Testament (except Philemon) and many in the Old Testament give warnings and instructions to guide the Christian. Some examples: Deuteronomy 13:1-4, Isaiah 47:12-15; 18:9-14, Matthew 7:15; 24:4-5, 11, 24; Acts 20:28-31; Romans 1:18-25; 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, 12-15; Galatians 1:6-9; Philippians 3:2; Colossians 2:16-23; Ephesians 5:11-13; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11; 1Timothy 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:1-4; Titus 1:9-11; 2 Peter 2:1-4; 1 Peter 3:15; 1 John 4:1-3. Although the word cult has a pejorative connotation, we use it because it sends a loud, clear message of warning. Genuine love and concern should compel Christians to send the strongest message possible in order to prevent such dire consequences as those inflicted upon cult members. The Bible uses the word heresy on two levels. On the first, it means false teaching that causes harm, disunity or divisions; in a stricter sense, however, it is a man-made doctrine that actually will produce a fatal result - eternal separation from God. The starting place for the Christian is doctrine and the non-negotiable, essential doctrines are the Trinity (including deity of Christ) and the gospel of grace (justification by grace through faith in Christ alone). Any religious group that denies these essentials is outside of Christianity and is thus false. Other Biblical characteristics of cultism include: extra-Biblical authority, segmented or fractured use of the Bible, authoritarian control over members, coercive guilt and fear manipulation, isolation, and lack of accountability. Within this larger Biblical definition, there is also a valid mental health or behavioral model that must be considered in defining a cult or cultism. Various terms used to describe this model include: mind control, thought reform, spiritual abuse, brainwashing, etc. When people are exposed to certain intense, social influence methods, the results can be a significantly diminished capacity of personal autonomy, illegal or immoral behavior, irrational or self-destructive actions, and breaking up of families or other close relationships. Many mental health professionals recognize this element in working with cult victims. Former president of the American Psychological Association and professor at Stanford University, Dr. Philip Zimbardo, speaking of cult mind control techniques writes, "They are variants of well-known social psychological principles of compliance, conformity, persuasion, dissonance, reactance, framing and emotional manipulation." (Monitor: American Psychological Association, May 1997) Even in the context of the judicial system, we find there are legal principles of fraud, undue influence, duress and psychological coercion tied to cults. The American Bar Association's Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law, describe cults as any group which "(1) uses a thought reform program to persuade, control and socialize members, (2) systematically induces states of psychological dependency in members (3) exploits members to advance the leadership's goals, and (4) causes psychological harm to members, their families and the community". (Cults in American Society: A Legal Analysis of Undue Influence, Fraud and Misrepresentation) In summary, the Bible describes the doctrinal perversions of false religions, their methodologies, and the temporal psychological/spiritual consequences of cult involvement. Christians need to be forewarned and more understanding and sensitive in our response to those either in cults or to those who have come out of cults. Check the INDEX of CULTS & RELIGIONS to find out which cults NOT to be or get involved with.
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The Deity of Christ “I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.” NAPOLEON BONAPARTE So many mistakes are made in religions today because of a failure to acknowledge that Jesus Christ was God in human form—not just a good teacher, but God Himself. For example, “Jesus wasn’t sinless—He became ‘angry’ when He cleared the temple.” The temple of God was filled with that day’s equivalent of money-grabbing televangelists. Jesus called it a “den of thieves” (Mark 11:17), because the moneychangers were not interested in God but in taking financial advantage of those who came to worship. Anger at hypocrisy isn’t a sin—it’s a virtue.The Bible gives us a fascinating insight into the deity of Christ in Matthew 13:14–17. Jesus asked Peter who he thought Jesus was. Peter replied that He was the Son of God. Here Jesus made an interesting statement. He said, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but my Father which is in heaven.” In other words, the Father must be the one to reveal to humanity who Jesus truly is.We can try to correct the popular, erroneous teaching that Jesus is less than God, but unless our Father opens the eyes of the individual, our argument is in vain. The Attributes Compared God has certain attributes, many of which are also attributes of man. There are, however, attributes or qualities of God that He reserves for Himself. Man is not omniscient, omnipotent, eternal, or omnipresent. These are qualities that God alone possesses. Man cannot forgive sin, create from nothing, or know the future. These are qualities that make God who He is, and that separate Him from man.We will look at some of these qualities of God, and see that Jesus Christ had these same attributes. God is omniscient: God knows all things. He knows the hearts and thoughts of men. He knows the past and the future. He knows the number of grains of sand, and the number of the stars. There is nothing He does not know. Christ is omniscient: “But Jesus did not commit himself to them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man” (John 2:24,25).He knew the whereabouts of Nathaniel: “Nathaniel said to him,Where do you know me from? Jesus answered and said to him, Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you” (John 1:48). God is worshiped: He knew the plot of Judas: “Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spoke of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon” (John 6:70,71).He knew the heart of the Pharisees: “And Jesus knew their thoughts” (Matthew 12:25). “But when Jesus perceived their thoughts” (Luke 5:22). “But he knew their thoughts” (Luke 6:8).He knew the history of the Samaritan woman (John 4:16–29). Only God can rightly be worshiped. “For you shall worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Exodus 34:14).Whenever a man was worshiping another man, he was immediately rebuked: “And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshiped him. But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man” (Acts 10:25,26). See also Acts 14:11–15 where Paul refuses worship. Even the angels refuse worship of men: “I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then said he to me, See you do it not: for I am your fellowservant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God” (Revelation 22:8,9). Christ is worshiped: He was worshiped by the ruler: “While he spoke these things to them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshiped him” (Matthew 9:18).He was worshiped by the angels: “And again, when he brought in the first begotten into the world, he said, And let all the angels of God worship him” (Hebrews 1:6). There are many other examples of people worshiping Christ. At no time did He rebuke them. He accepted their worship. He was worshiped by the wise men: “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him” (Matthew 2:11). He was worshiped by the leper: “And behold, there came a leper and worshiped him” (Matthew 8:2). God forgives sin: Only God can forgive sin, because all sin is against a holy God. No man can truly forgive sin. “Who can forgive sins but God only?” (Mark 2:7). Christ forgives sin: “When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, your sins be forgiven you” (Mark 2:5).“And he said to her, Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:48). God creates: Only God can truly create. To form something where before was nothing takes an act of God.Man can refashion or reform something that already exists, but only God can create.“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him” (Colossians 1:16). Christ creates: “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3).“Salvation belongs unto the LORD” (Psalm 3:8).“For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost” (Matthew 18:11). God saves: “Salvation belongs unto the LORD” (Psalm 3:8). Christ saves: “For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (Luke 9:56). “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). “If any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world” (John 12:47). More Verses Confirming the Deity of Jesus Christ John 8:24; 8:58; 18:4–6; Revelation 1:17,18; 2:8; Matthew 12:8; Acts 7:59,60; 10:36 1 Corinthians 2:8; 12:3; Philippians 2:10,11; Matthew 1:21; Luke 2:11; John 4:42; 2 Timothy 1:10 Titus 2:13; Revelation 17:14; 19:16; John 5:22; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Timothy 4:1 John 1:4,9; 3:19; 8:12; 9:5; Romans 9:33; 1 Corinthians 10:3,4; 1 Peter 2:4–8; Acts 20:28 Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12; Jeremiah 23:6; Romans 3:21 Clearly, Jesus Christ has the attributes of God, even the attributes reserved solely for God. “This Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon; without science and learning, He shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of schools, He spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; withoutwriting a single line, He set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times.”—Philip Schaff, Memory Verse Jesus declared, “I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins: for if you believe not that I AM*, you shall die in your sins.” JOHN 8:24
* "I AM" is the name God gave Himself when Moses asked, 'Who is it that I should say sent me?' to the
Egyptians. God answered him, "Tell them I AM has sent you."
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The Gospel and The Passover The Passover is a High Holy Day of the Hebrews’ in remembrance of God’s deliverance of them from bondage in Egypt. (See Exodus 1-12) The Passover Sabbath is a shadow picture of God’s plan in Jesus Christ to save all mankind. Jesus, God’s Son, was made flesh, born of a virgin in Bethlehem, suffered and died for our sins, was buried and raised from the dead! (This is the Holy Gospel of God given in the Scriptures of Matthew, Mark Luke and John). Jesus Christ the Messiah is the Passover Lamb Sacrifice, the propitiation for our sins. The next day John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world. John 1:29 At the moment of Jesus’ death, the veil in the Jerusalem Temple was torn supernaturally and completely from top to bottom.
The veil separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (where God dwelt when the Hebrews had the Ark of the Covenant). Only the Levite High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place once a year in accordance with the Law in order to atone for the sins of the Hebrew people.
The veil is symbolic of the flesh of Jesus being broken, dying as a sacrifice for our sins against God.
Because God broke the veil, all who believe in Jesus Christ can enter through, spiritually, into His presence and into His rest.
The Passion of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is the fulfillment of God’s Passover, the deliverance of all mankind forever.
But this man (Jesus of Nazareth) after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From then on expecting his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one offering he has perfected forever them that are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also is a witness to us: for he said, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities I will remember no more." Because of the remission of sins, there is no more offering for sin required. We have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having a high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts cleansed from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful who promised;) And let us spur one another on to love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much more, as you see the day approaching.
Hebrews 10:12-25
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Having a Change of Heart... Has anyone ever married and then wanted to change their spouse (or wanted to change them since the moment they met them for that matter)? Have you ever wanted to change your children? Do you feel like you need to change certain areas of your behavior, personality or choices in life? Do you ever feel hopeless and helpless in these areas? Most people probably answered "yes" to all of those questions. What about these? I know God exists, but where is He in my life? What should I do with my life? Why isn’t my life going the way I want it to? Am I doing the right thing(s) with my life? What do other people think about me? What do I think about and tell myself on a regular basis? What do I really believe as truth in my life? Does God exist? The answers to these questions are not as universal and tend to provoke feelings of fear and anxiety for many of us.
All of these questions do have this in common:They all relate in some way to the condition of our hearts.
God does not judge by appearances but looks at our hearts. "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) What is the Heart of Man? Definition: The vital center and source of one's being, emotions, and sensibilities. - The repository of one's deepest and sincerest feelings and beliefs The seat of the intellect or imagination.
- Emotional constitution, basic disposition, or character: a man after my own heart.
- One's prevailing mood or current inclination: We were light of heart.
- Capacity for sympathy or generosity; compassion: a leader who seems to have no heart.
- Love; affection: The child won my heart
Courage; resolution; fortitude: The soldiers lost heart and retreated. The firmness of will or the callousness required to carry out an unpleasant task or responsibility: hadn't the heart to send them away without food.
Do you evaluate the state of your heart regularly, or do you keep checks and balances on it? Where is your heart right now? If you feel shame or guilt…then those are in your heart. If you feel victimized…you are a victim in your heart or character. If you feel hatred…hate is in your heart. If you want to do harm, then violence is in your heart.
Once something is part of your heart, how can it be changed or discarded? Everyone can change their minds, but can they change their character or personality traits? Possibly. But what if a person is addicted or enslaved to something or some pattern of behavior? Can they change and and be freed from physical dependency?
All of this is debatable, of course, but the point here is that our heart has to change in order for us to change. We all know, relatively early on, that we are (that is, our hearts are) capable of both good and evil and we know how to tell the difference between the two. That happened in the Garden of Eden, as Genesis reveals, when Eve (and Adam) ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. So we all, for the most part, have this knowledge in common. However, Adam and Eve sinned, disobeying God, which caused a spiritual death in the hearts of all mankind. But God loved man and did not want them to then eat from the Tree of Life (eternal life) and remain dead in their sin forever, so He banished Adam and Eve from the Garden to the same kind of life we know and live on Earth today.
God’s perfect plan for man had a main purpose; to send His Son, Jesus Christ, for our salvation so that we could be justified and sanctified through His blood on the cross. Jesus’ sacrifice cleanses us from our disobedient, rebellious sin so we can be reconciled to God and live as His righteous children forever. We know this because He rose from the dead, conquering it for us, forever!
Why is Jesus the only way? Because He said so and because He knew that all of mankind are born with sinful, disobedient hearts that keep them completely out of the presence of God. No matter how good we think we are, God is light and will not tolerate the darkness of sin– ever!
The human HEART (our wills) must be changed in order for us to receive God's gift of salvation through Jesus. God the Father is drawing the hearts of those who will believe in Jesus. He draws them closer and reveals Himself to them through His Word. The only way people can come to belief and faith in God and to repentance of their sin is through hearing and believing in Jesus Christ and His Word. No other god or religion can offer this cleansing cure for the sin within our hearts.
When a soul is born-again, that person’s heart and mind are awakened by God! There is a spiritual change in their HEART created by the entrance of the Holy Spirit. That is why John the Baptist came commanding the repentance of all sin before God. The admitting and repenting of our sin causes us to turn from our evil ways and become obedient to His Way and His calling, asking Him for forgiveness and salvation. As Jesus said in the Gospel of John, Chapter 3, we must be born-again spiritually in order to see God and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
God changes hearts throughout the Scriptures. God changed Moses' heart in Midian exile and revealed Himself to him there. God made Moses the leader and deliverer of the Hebrew people out of Egypt, out of bondage. Although Moses’ task was overwhelming, that is what made him have to trust God to do it. There are countless examples of God changing hearts and working in the lives of those who love Him and believe in Him. In the Old Testament, there is Abraham, Sarah, Issac, Jacob, Joseph, Noah, Jonah, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Ruth, David, Solomon, many more kings, all the prophets. In the New Testament, we learn of Joseph, Mary, Zechariah, Elizabeth, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, Mary Magdalene and all of the disciples of Jesus.
Many many hearts have been changed forever by God! Has God changed yours? If you answered "no," just ask for Jesus to come into your heart and repent of your sin and give Him your life. If you answered "yes," let God use you to help others wake up and see His light today! There is nothing to lose and only a better, eternal life to gain when we sincerely believe in the one true God and let Him change our hearts!
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Things are Never as They Seem
The Old Testament is a Shadow Picture of New Testament The commands/laws and subsequent things that resulted in the Old Testament were shadows of the future and of spiritual things and these were signs that pointed to Jesus and what was to come spiritually to those who believe on Him.
For example, God delivering the people of Israel from Egyptian bondage (in the Book of Exodus) is a shadow picture of Christ's death on the cross, delivering us spiritually, from all sin and bondage, to eternal salvation. Another example of shadows of what was to come is The Law of God. We know it as The 10 Commandments God gave the Israelites according to the Old Testament.The Law is a shadow picture of what Christ came and fulfilled (see Romans 13:9-10).
The truth of shadow pictures is stated plainly, several times in the New Testament but understanding them is an entirely different matter and gets Christian believers involved in all sorts of confusion and struggles over issues of legalism.
What Constitutes Being a Christian?
There is faith in the one God who created all.
There is belief in His Word and deeds, Jesus Christ and the Gospel.
There is revelation of the sinful condition, a sorrowful confession of sin and a change of mind toward God. There is the Gift of the Holy Spirit which fills and indwells the faithful, repentant believer causing them to be regenerated spiritually. As Jesus states in John 3:3, "You must be Born from Above."
And yes, there are works that result and show that the Christan's faith is real.
We don't deserve it but, because God loves us all so much, He alone saves believers.His salvation and grace can only be accepted through faith and belief – It CANNOT be earned – ever! Even our faith is a gift from God and we can, and should, ask Him for more!
We cannot keep The 10 Commandments perfectly, but trying to is righteous behavior and not sinful. However, if we say, “Unless we keep these commands, we will not see God.” we have made God’s law higher than God. We sin in idolatry since we have made the Law our idol over and above God.
Christians have a reconciled relationship with God through Jesus if they are truly born from above spiritually. He gives His Holy Spirit to those who believe. Believers who have Christ within are made spiritually perfect (by the Holy Spirit alone, nothing of us makes us righteous). Physically, however, we will always have a sinful nature. So the Christian has this spiritual battle between their new heart nature and their old, hard-hearted, rebellious flesh nature. Paul explains this dilemma in the Book of Romans, Chapter 7.
The true Christian is regenerated and helped by the Spirit to obey the new commandments that Jesus gave - to love God with all their hearts, minds and strength and to love their fellow man - He said these spiritual laws sum up the whole Law that was given. Christians must persevere on God's behalf and live for Him and His will, holding on to the power of the blood of Christ and feeding the spiritual desires of their new heart as they await deliverance from their bodies of death. They must kill the desires of their flesh and their old sin nature and not cater to them. Only God can win these spiritual battles for us.
What Does it Mean to be Born-Again?
There is a good chance you are Regenerated by God, Born from Above (Born-Again) if you answer “Yes” to all of the following questions:
Do you believe in God the Father who is the God of Israel as described in the Holy Bible?
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who came in the flesh as man, died for our sins and rose again? This is the Gospel, the Good News.
Do you know that God will save all who believe in Jesus to eternal life in His Kingdom?
Do you know that all have sinned (meaning all possess a sinful nature) and fall short of God’s glory? Do you know that all are helpless in sin apart from God's grace to save them?
Have you cried out to God for mercy and help to be saved?
Are you truly sorry for your sins against God and have you confessed them before Him?
Are you ready to TURN FROM sin and hate it? Have you fully and sincerely repented of sin?
Do you know God still loves you and forgives you of ALL sin through Jesus’ death on the cross? Do you accept His forgiveness?
Do you acknowledge that you are helpless to save yourself and only God can save you from sin a
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